So Lovely
by karma67
Summary: Seven years after the Dark Lord's fall, Ginny awakens in the bed of Draco Malfoy after a night of drinking with Harry. As emotions rise, she is hidden from a deadly secret that has her trapped in a war that is just beginning.
1. Seven Years

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! Unfortunately, school and Christmas shopping always go first before fanfictions. In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments. Well, I hope everyone had happy holidays and a happy new year!

Chapter 1

"_Where are your servants now?" a voice jeered from above Harry, who lay between the gravestones of his parents. The young man moaned in pain as he felt something twist his insides like a carnival ride. "Where is your Mudblood and Weasley boy?" Harry attempted to stand, but collapsed onto the gravestone of James Potter, vomiting blood as he fell. "Dead, perhaps?" Voldemort continued. _

"_They've found the last Horcrux," the man rasped before coughing up more blood. "They found it and destroyed it." To Harry's surprise, the monster of a man who leered over him appeared to be slightly amused. _

"_You don't think I know that, boy? You don't think I know that the body I possess is the only one I have left?" Voldemort's mouth twitched into a crazed smile. "It's just you and me, Harry." The Dark Lord leaned so close to his enemy that Harry could smell the scent of a thousand rotting corpses combined with the undying lust of murder on his breath. Voldemort stared into Harry's eyes, trying to detect the slightest hint of terror, but found none. "You're a brave boy, Harry," he said as he drew his wand. "Tell Satan that Voldemort sent you."_

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

"Harry!"

Harry Potter opened his eyes to find that instead of standing on a fluffy cloud with his parents and other relatives, he lay on a snowy cobblestone road. A woman with a flaming red mane of hair framing her freckled face hovered over him.

"You do this every year on the day He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named died," she said as she single-handedly pulled him to his feet.

Harry sighed. Would she ever learn to stop being such a coward and say the man's name?

"Call him 'Voldemort', will you? He's been dead for the past seven years, and I'm sure he won't mind if you call him by his name," he scolded. The redheaded woman gave a shiver that had little to do with the chilly winter air.

She considered saying "not everyone can be as courageous as the great Harry Potter", but that might just ruin their night together. Instead she settled on speaking calmly while holding his hand.

"I don't want to argue with you, Harry."

"Neither do I. It's just that I can't see why—"

"I only want to have a few drinks and have some fun with my boyfriend," she said as she pecked him on the lips. "Then later we could have a bit more fun, hmm?" He nodded and followed her into the Three Broomsticks.

The moment they entered, a wave of gasps erupted in the pub, followed by several, "Is that him?", "It's Harry Potter!" and "That Ginny Weasley is one lucky girl." The couple pretended that no one had said a word and sat at the bar next to a man who was too drunk to recognize them.

"Good afternoon," Madam Rosmerta, the curvaceous owner of the Three Broomsticks, greeted them. "What'll it be?" Harry made a mental note to thank Ginny for choosing a place where the owner didn't ask for his autograph.

"I'll have a sherry, thank you," the woman named Ginny responded.

"And some pumpkin juice," Harry added. Madam Rosmerta nodded and went to get their drinks.

"What do you reckon Hermione and Ron are up to?" Harry asked, trying to start a conversation and make up for their small argument outside the pub at the same time. Ginny, who realized what he was doing, couldn't help but laugh at his unintentional randiness of his statement.

"Do you think I would want to even know?"

Harry flushed before murmuring,

"You know what I was trying to do. I didn't mean for it to sound like that."

Ginny would have usually let this slide and changed the subject to something safe like Quidditch or the constant search for the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. But this was simply too easy to have a bit of fun with. She laughed airily, as if she were about to let the topic go.

"I know exactly what you were talking about, Harry." She watched him sigh in relief before leaning in to whisper into his ear, "We both know you're a very dirty wizard, Harry." The man's face went from pigmy puff pink to Weasley red.

"I may not be one to judge, but I think you should be getting to a doctor, Harry," Madam Rosmerta said as she set their drinks on the table, worry lines etched across her now concerned face. "You're as red as a beet." Ginny shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. We were just sharing a good laugh," Ginny said coolly. Madam Rosmerta eyed Ginny curiously before going off to serve other customers.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her.

"'Having a good laugh'?" he said in disbelief. Ginny smiled and kissed him slowly, knowing this would always make any tension between them suddenly smooth out. Once they broke apart, Harry sighed and took a gulp of pumpkin juice. "Why do we do this?" he asked wearily. Ginny looked puzzled and sipped her sherry, a signal for him to continue. "We do this every year. You'll plan to take me to some pub in celebration of Voldemort's death. (Oh, Ginny, will you stop cringing?) Then we'll argue over something stupid, find ourselves having a boring time at the pub, then go back to your place for 'a bit of fun'. Can't we just—" Harry was no longer looking at his girlfriend. In fact, he seemed to be giving someone over her shoulder a cold glare. She whirled around to find the one person who could possibly make their night worse.

"Let him be," Ginny pleaded, clutching Harry's arm.

"Why?" Harry barked. Ginny immediately dropped his arm, astonished at his harsh tone. _He's going to do it anyway, _Ginny thought to herself. _You always have to be the heroic Harry Potter who couldn't have a good date with his girlfriend if his life depended on it. Fine by me. Abso-fucking-lutely fine. _She chose not to answer Harry and simply watch how things turned out. If the blonde man with sharp features and a drunken girlfriend who had just come in gave Harry a black eye and a nasty enlargement charm, so be it. _He'd deserve it, anyway. It would give him a good opportunity for a well-deserved I-told-you-so. _

"Long time no see, Potter," a sickeningly familiar voice drawled from behind them. "The last time I saw you, you were being hauled off to the Dark Lord by my aunt and your favorite potions teacher. Sometimes I even wonder today how you escaped." Draco chuckled. "He must have given you hell before his death, didn't he?" Pansy Parkinson giggled and hiccupped at his side. Harry turned to take a good look at his enemy.

Draco Malfoy looked less and less like his father with every passing year. Though he carried Lucius's trait of keeping a clean-shaven face, he still had a certain ruggedness about him that could only come from doing hard labor—something Draco's father had never gotten a taste of in his life. The man's grey eyes seemed sharper and more alert than his father's. Harry guessed that this came from working under both Snape and Voldemort, two men who would have definitely made a watch dog out of him. His body had grown more muscle from having to be quick on his feet in case of an attack from Aurors. However, what made Harry want to kill Draco on the spot was the smirk on his face that was far from his typical Malfoy smirk. This was the sort of expression a murderer gave their victim before slowly torturing them; the same look he saw the man give Hermione before putting the Cruciatus… Harry tucked that memory into the back of his mind before it began to replay in his brain, hoping that eventually he would forget it altogether.

"And I wonder how you managed to escape from Azkaban," he retorted.

Draco took a seat next to Harry and eyed his drink.

"Pumpkin juice?" he said incredulously. "You never were much of a man, Potter." He then set his pale eyes upon Ginny and gave her a look of utter disgust. "I don't see why you bother with him," he said to her in a voice that would have been more appropriate for the statement "you're too good for him, anyway".

"She bothers with me because she loves me," Harry snapped, pulling Ginny closer to him to prove his point. _Do I? _she wondered.

"Oi, Rosmerta! Two shots of rum," Draco ordered, slapping a Galleon on the table. Madam Rosmerta grumbled something about having manners as she poured their drinks. Once the woman set the two glasses on the table, Draco raised his for a toast. "To Potter and his apparently happy girl. I hope Weasley doesn't go mad from serving you." He downed his drink and found that Harry hadn't touched his rum. "Be a man, Potter."

"Do it," Pansy slurred. "You're embarrassing Weasley."

Harry looked at the pretty redhead he came in with only to find that she avoided his eyes, an expression of humiliation plastered on her face. _Let him do it. Let him learn his lesson. _

Harry, upon believing that he understood what she was thinking, gulped down the vulgar liquid. For a moment he looked as if he would vomit it back up, but his stomach gave him mercy.

"You're better than I expected, Potter. Care for a bit of a challenge?" Draco drawled. Harry seemed confused by his opponent's offer. "A drinking contest, dolt," he explained curtly.

"Fine," Harry said through clenched teeth, knowing that this was going to be a terrible mistake. Draco smiled and conjured more of what appeared to be rum in their shot glasses with his wand. "Cheers," Harry said, and downed his second shot.

Pansy retrieved a flask from her robes and offered it to Ginny.

"You won't even taste a thing," Pansy giggled. Ginny shook her head, but the other girl pressed on. "It tastes just like water once you get used to it." The pug-faced woman was now pushing the flask into Ginny's face and backing her into a corner. "It's only fun when we're all drunk."

Ginny felt Pansy wrench her head back. Though she resisted, Malfoy's date was simply too strong. A disgusting thick liquid was forced down her throat, which burned like fire as the substance oozed its way down. Pansy's satisfied face was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

--

Harry bolted upright in bed to a woman's piercing shriek.

"OHMYGODOHMYGOD_OHMYGOD_!"

He whirled his head around and nearly fell out of bed when his eyes found the woman who had screamed. On the other side of the bed sat Pansy Parkinson, who looked as if she had just witnessed a nasty murder.

"Parkinson, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, still completely in shock.

"I don't know! I just remember going drinking with Draco and you and Weasley were there and…_oh my God_!" Pansy's eyes grew wider. "What if I'm pregnant? I can't be pregnant! Not with _your _baby."

Harry, who had become reasonably calm by Pansy's fourth _oh my God_, took a deep breath and spoke.

"You're not pregnant. At least not by me."

Pansy scooted further away from him and crossed her arms.

"How do you know?"

"Look at us. Do you think you could possibly get pregnant by me if we're both wearing clothes?" Harry said matter-of-factly. He watched the young woman sigh in relief and suddenly gasp.

"But if I'm waking up with you," she said slowly, like a child reading from her first book, "where do you suppose Weasley and Draco are?"

--

Ginny Weasley awoke to a ray of golden sunlight illuminating the unfamiliar room in which she lay. Stone walls, expensive furniture, and a red-brick fireplace with dying embers surrounded her. What brought more confusion to her tired state was the cold, strangely pale arm that wrapped itself around her unclothed body. It didn't take long for her to realize that the man she shared this bed with wore nothing as well.

Ginny rolled over and stared into the face of a man who was very far from Harry. Before she knew it, her body tensed in mortification, the once puzzled expression on her face quickly converted into one of utmost terror, and a sea of thoughts rushed into her horrified mind. However one word managed to escape her trembling lips.

"Shit."

She shut her eyes, praying that this was all one terrible nightmare. In thirty seconds she was going to wake up to the familiar home owned by Harry Potter, her beau wrapped lovingly around her, and she would release a bloodcurdling scream in response to her dream.

Thirty seconds passed.

Then a minute.

"_Shit_."

After several minutes of trying to wake up, Ginny simply gave up and faced her fears. Something was forced down her throat that made her pass out, and now she was in bed with Draco Malfoy. What made it all so extraordinarily disgusting was the undeniable fact that she slept with him the night before, seeing that neither of them wore a single article of clothing. The only way to escape this situation was _to _escape.Without thinking of how or what the consequences were if she failed to do this task, she reached behind herself and slowly separated Draco's arms from around the small of her back, giving her room to slither out and quickly place a pillow in her spot. If only she could move his arm just a little—

"Weasley?!"

Ginny took less than two seconds to rip the single bed sheet off of Draco to hastily wrap around herself as the two jumped out of bed in response to seeing each other. For a moment he stood naked before her, his face distorted with a mix of rage and humiliation.

"I don't know why all the girls at Hogwarts were after you if this is all you've got," Ginny said with a smirk. Draco tore a pillowcase from an especially long pillow and wrapped it around his waist.

"Don't smile like that. You look like a Malfoy," he snapped. Ginny crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I would never look like a Malfoy."

"Depressing idea, isn't it?"

"What about being raped by a Malfoy?" she sneered, pulling the sheets closer to her body. Draco's jaw momentarily dropped, but he was able to compose himself quickly enough for Ginny not to notice.

"Why would I want you?" he said conversationally. "It's more likely that you came onto me. After all, all the girls at Hogwarts were after me, aren't they?" Ginny rolled her eyes, trying to cover up the fact that Draco won their argument.

"I don't have time for this, Malfoy. Harry will be worried," she said as she picked up her robes. "Turn around," she ordered. "I'm going to get dressed."

"Why should I? I've already seen you naked." Ginny cringed as her rival turned to face the far wall. She dropped the sheets and began to pull on her undergarments. "You should keep the sheets," Draco commented. "I'm going to burn them if you don't."

"I guess you'll be putting that fireplace to good use, then."

"Say, Weasley, I was meaning to ask you something. Who's better in bed: me or Potter?" Ginny froze. _How the hell did we get onto this topic? Why would he want to know that? _"You heard me, Weasley."

"Harry," she said simply, hoping that she didn't sound as awkward as she felt.

"Is that so?" Ginny straightened her robes to make sure that nothing was out of place in her now clothed body.

"Yes, it is _so_." She spun around to stare angrily at what she thought would be the back of Draco's head. To her horror, he stood facing her, his face only inches from hers. "How long have you been standing—"

"I don't believe you." For a split second she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but soon enough, it came to her.

"I blacked out, so Harry wins."

A strange confidence shone in Draco's face that scared Ginny a bit.

"So no one knows for sure," he said with a smirk that could top Ginny's any day.

"And I'd like to keep it that way."

"But admit it; it would be fun to see our family's reactions if we did."

A perfect picture of a terrified Percy flashed across Ginny's eyes.

"It _would _be funny," she agreed before adding quickly, "but I would never do it."

"But just imagine the look on you're brothers' faces," he pressed. "It would be perfect revenge on anything and everything they've done to you. Or even better: the look on my mother's face if he finds out." Ginny scrunched up her nose.

"This is a game to you, isn't it?" she spat in disgust. "Just some sick way of getting back at your mother."

"There's no feelings involved," he reasoned. "I don't like you and you don't like me. That's it."

"I'm sure last night was enough of a mistake to anger Narcissa Malfoy."

Draco took a seat on the foot of the bed and sighed. Something about the way his eyes stared into hers while the rest of his face drooped into a depressing frown made her feel uncomfortable. Something about the way he looked so—she paused to think of the right word—_honest_ made him almost unMalfoy. Without realizing it, she felt pity towards the man and kneeled down on the floor in front of him.

"What would you do," he asked slowly, "if I told you that I didn't care about my mother and I just wanted to see you?"

Ginny was stunned.

"Tomorrow at the Three Broomsticks." It sounded more like a demand than a request.

"Why would you want to see me again?" Ginny asked, finding her voice. Draco gave her a smile that sent chills up her arms.

"I'm sure you can think of a few reasons."

"You're doing this to get back at Harry, aren't you?"

"That's one of them."

"You're disgusting, Malfoy. Don't bother waiting for me tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere near you." She stalked out the room and stomped blindly through the house, trying to find the door out of the place. On several occasions, she found herself dramatically walking out of a room into a closet or one of the six other bedrooms. Once she arrived at the main door, she found Draco holding the door open in a way that might suggest that he was something of a gentleman. Without even glancing at him, she strode out of his vast home, hoping that she was more convincing than she felt.

"I'll be at your house by noon," he called, and shut the door after her.


	2. Death and a Date

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! Unfortunately, school and Christmas shopping always go first before fanfictions. In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments. Well, I hope everyone had happy holidays and a happy new year!

Chapter 2

Rain beat furiously down on Wiltshire, England, making it impossible to see anything through the shower; a thing that could be to one's great advantage or worst nightmare. In the case of the graying man who inched his way though the shrubs and gnarled trees, it was a mixture of the two.

He had stolen into the night only a few hours earlier, successfully creeping out of bed and retrieving his wand and broom without waking his wife. He wished he could have taken a few other members of the Order with him, but they all shared his wife's view: going into the Malfoy Mansion is a suicide mission, especially if it wasn't surveyed by the most senior members of the Order.

It didn't matter. This wasn't just a mission to kill Bellatrix Lestrange. It was the most honorable way to avenge the murder of his best friend.

_Sirius would have wanted this_, he thought to himself. _He would have done it for me._

He arrived at the front door. Miraculously, it wasn't locked.

_It's a trap._

Wand at the ready, he slowly stepped inside.

"Lumos." A small light at the tip of his wand illuminated the familiar face directly in front of him.

"Remus," the young man said silkily, "so nice of you to drop by. I assume you're looking for my aunt?"

The man named Remus stared at the man who spoke to him.

"Draco?" he gasped.

"In the flesh," Draco said, and smiled wickedly as he drew his wand.

--

_Dear Nymphadora Lupin,_

_It is to our immense grief to find Mr. Remus Lupin deceased on account of what apparently seems to be a Death Eater attack. See the attached sheet for more information on the subject._

_Sincerely,_

_The Order of the Phoenix_

"What's this got to do with me?" a long-haired redheaded young man asked after reading the paper his mother provided him with after he came to her home. Molly Weasley pressed a chubby finger to the paper.

"Don't you see? Poor Nymphadora's devastated, and I was hoping that she could get a bit of cheering up from a friend." Her son's blue eyes widened.

"You mean she's _here_?"

"Came in the middle of the night in nothing but Remus's nightclothes and this letter. Didn't even bother to fix herself up before scaring us half to death with her banging on the door, the poor dear."

"But how did Remus—"

"I don't know, dear. It only says that he was found dead in a pond in London."

"Oh, God. Is Tonks alright?"

"She's still sleeping. But you can go to see her if you wish. Andromeda is here already, and she hasn't left Nymphadora's side. They're in your room."

The young man nodded and made his way down the hall and into the second room on the left. A middle-aged slim blonde woman with a heart-shaped face sat on the bed beside her sleeping daughter. The weary woman looked up and smiled.

"Bill," she said warmly and went to pull him into a hug. "I'm so glad to see that you're well."

"It's good to see you too, Andromeda. Where's Ted?" Andromeda flicked her hand in a motion to gesture that it did not matter.

"Some meeting for his job. He's in Tokyo at the moment." She heaved a great sigh. "Would you mind looking after Nymphadora for a bit? I've been waiting for her to awake for the past few hours, but as you can see nothing's happened." Bill agreed to look after the young woman and Andromeda left the room.

Once he pulled a chair up to the bed, Tonks's eyes fluttered open.

"I've been waiting for her to leave," she said. "The woman won't stop droning on about the pains of love." Bill chuckled as she sat up in bed and smoothed her hand through her mousy brown hair. "Like she knows anything about pain," she spat. Tonks pulled her knees up to her chest. "God, I miss him."

Bill had no idea how to react. All his life he'd been taught to keep his emotions inside and to teach his brothers the same. By the time a girl came into the family, it was too late for him to understand anything about feminine emotions. He silently prayed that she wouldn't start crying anytime soon.

Mercifully she took Bill's hand and squeezed it.

"I'm boring you, aren't I?" she said with a sad smile. "How's Fleur?"

Bill cringed. Marriage was not nearly as easy as his parents made it appear.

"Problems?" Tonks asked, taking notice to her friend's expression. Bill nodded, to which she smirked and commented, "Veela magic's worn away, has it?"

"The woman doesn't even want children," Bill cried. Tonks's smirk disappeared.

"Why did she marry you, then?"

"I don't _know_!" He heaved a great sigh. "I should have listened to my mother," he murmured. "I should have never married Fleur." Tonks took his other hand and stared directly into his eyes.

"Don't even _think _that, Bill. I've been through it as well, and just look at me now. Sometimes I would wonder if I was even in love with him. And now after his death I think I know the answer." She paused to gaze thoughtfully out of the small window next to the bed. "I just hope he forgives me."

Bill had the sudden urge to hug so tightly that perhaps he might extract a bit of the misery from her.

And that he did. Even though her release of stress came out as tears, Bill still felt accomplished in the fact that he managed to help his friend while learning how to deal with a woman's emotions.

"I don't know how Fleur could ever be mad at you," Tonks whispered in mid hug. "Whatever she says to you, know that you're a good man, Bill, and she should know that, too." For a moment Bill thought he might cry, but quickly reminded himself that men don't do such things, even in the presence of the one woman who would understand.

Once the two reluctantly pulled apart, Bill noticed that a few streaks of pink had appeared in her otherwise mousy brown hair.

"Did you know," Bill said, "that my mum thought she knew who I was going to marry?" Tonks chuckled.

"What a Molly thing to do. So who was the lucky lady?" At that moment, the amused expression on his face melted away to display one of thoughtfulness.

"Actually, it was—"

"Nymphadora!" a maternal voice chirped. The two looked up to see Molly Weasley wearing a particularly cheerful expression on her face. "You're awake! Can I do anything for you?" Tonks smiled warmly at her.

"You've taken me in in the middle of the night and dragged both Bill and my mother here. I don't think there's anything else you could do."

As if in que, both Ginny and her twin brothers strode into the room.  
"Impossible," she said incredulously, hugging each of them. "I haven't seen you three since Fred's wedding." She crossed her legs and beckoned them to come closer. "What's happened since the last time we've gotten together?" The three younger Weasley siblings looked at each other in confusion, wondering how Tonks could be so cheery, but decided to play along in case this was simply her was of healing.

"Well," Fred started, "Krystal's turned four this year."

"Krystal?" The four Weasleys looked at each other in disbelief.

"You didn't know Fred has a daughter?" Ginny asked. Tonks's eyes grew wide.

"Looks exactly like Angelina," George said, "except for the red hair."

That one topic triggered a whole conversation filled with reconciliation between Tonks and her closest friends. They spoke of Krystal's accomplishments, Ron and Hermione's engagement, and several other events that made Tonks say "I knew that would happen". The one thing, however, that not a single person in the room could have predicted was the young man who apparated directly in front of the bed. Everyone was in complete shock, except for Ginny, who stared at him in horror.

"I believe we have a date, Ginevra," the man drawled, smoothing his silvery blond hair back. "Twelve o'clock on the dot, just as promised."


	3. The Prince

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! Unfortunately, school and Christmas shopping always go first before fanfictions. In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments.

Chapter 3

Bill instinctively took a step in front of Ginny, blocking her from any potential hexes he believed Draco may attempt on her. Both Fred and George pulled out their wands instantaneously and pointed them at the intruder while Tonks leapt out of bed, wand at the ready. Draco made no move to protect himself whatsoever.

"Twelve o'clock," he repeated, motioning to the young woman who stood behind her eldest brother. "Don't you remember when I set the date this morning?" A wide smirk began to take form on his face. "Or shall I help you remember the details of that event?"

This was clearly enough to make her leap out from behind Bill and snarl,

"You wouldn't."

"Your family, not mine," he said silkily. For a moment Ginny looked as if she might throw something, but strode up to her foe, making a point to avoid the stares of disbelief that she received from her family and Tonks. "I'll have her back in an hour," he promised.

"The hell you will," George growled, and a stream of blue flames emitted from his wand directly at Draco. Unfortunately, the young blond man had already taken her by the waist and apparated out of the house.

--

"Get up, Weasley," Draco sneered once she found herself on the ground of an unfamiliar place. She obeyed him and looked around. They appeared to be in a dark alley with some of the most suspicious people she'd ever seen pass her by, each person giving her a look of slight disgust.

"Where are we?" she questioned. "I thought you said we were going to—"

"I lied," he said curtly. "Welcome to Knockturn Alley." Ginny stared at Draco, a great loathing in her eyes.

"I hate you." Draco gave her the same spine-chilling smile he had given her earlier that day.

"You don't mean that. Without me, you'd probably be dead in this part of Diagon Alley." Ginny involuntarily shivered and took a step closer to Draco, who was inwardly enjoying her terror. "We're getting lunch at the Dragon's Jaw. It's at the end of the alley," he told her. "Take my hand." Ginny stared.

"_What_?"

"Anyone could snatch you up without my knowing," he explained. "You could easily be killed or raped or—"

"You enjoy torturing me, don't you?" she hissed as she grasped his cool hand in hers.

"I didn't realize how uncomfortable you were until I noticed how your hand is shaking," he said truthfully. "This date is going better than expected." Ginny grimaced.

"Why do you want to see me if you've already got Parkinson?"

"You're prettier," Draco replied. Ginny stopped walking, catching him by surprise.

"What did you say?" He rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me repeat it. I'm not one to give compliments."

"Have you ever said anything like that to Parkinson?"

"Everything I say to her is something she deserves." Ginny watched the young man's face go from stoic to a cruel smirk. She guessed that he was recollecting a moment where he had said something particularly nasty to her. To Ginny's surprise, a strange expression of what appeared to be fear came over his face. He squeezed her hand and whispered into her ear, "Let's go."

Before she knew it, she felt as if a hook was pulling her back from the back of her navel; a sensation that always made her feel a bit nauseous.

Once the spinning stopped, she found herself on the floor in a sitting room of what looked like an old abandoned home. Spiders made their home in the cobwebs on the broken armchair, patched sofa, and table that threatened to collapse at any moment. Dust collected on the bookshelves that appeared to completely cover every inch of wall.

Before she could say a single word, Draco explained himself.

"I saw a Death Eater looking for me." Ginny's eyes widened.

"Why are they after you?" Draco leaned in toward her as if someone were watching them at that very moment.

"Just because the Dark Lord is dead doesn't mean that his followers aren't still doing his business," he said in a hushed voice. Ginny decided that this would be a long story, so she took a seat on the sofa. "After the Dark Lord was killed, all the Death Eaters scattered. All the wizards with a bit of common sense escaped and took on normal lives. The true followers clumped together and continued to do evil deeds. Now they're trying to recruit the former Death Eaters and create a new cult that's more inescapable than the Dark Lord's. Now they're trying—"

"To drag you in," Ginny finished.

"Precisely."

"So where are we now?" she asked, looking around the dilapidated house.

"Must seem like a mansion to you, doesn't it?" Draco said with a smirk. Ginny rolled her eyes and stood up to look around the room. "Don't touch anything. There are several dark objects in this place," he warned.

"I appreciate your concern, Malfoy," Ginny said as she fingered through one of the bookshelves and retrieved a random book. It was a tattered old thing with a thin cloth cover and old yellowing pages. Its binding was torn in several places and clumsily slapped back together with what appeared to be the white sticky substance muggles used to keep things together.

"Why must you Weasleys always be so stubborn?" Draco growled from directly behind her. She ignored him and opened the book to its first crinkled page.

"It's a diary," she said with vague surprise.

"Don't you remember the last time you handled one of those?" Ginny made a face at him and pushed past him, making her way to the sofa. Draco took a seat next to her as she began to read.

_July 17th_

_Found you in an alleyway, I did. Mother told me to put you down, but I slipped you in my robes anyway. So I suppose that you are mine now, Journal. I may not know your history, but I believe you have gone through enough to learn about myself. You may call me the Prince. I think the name suits me well; it's certainly better than the disgraceful name my mother gave me. Even Father finds it revolting._

_October 19th _

_I think I may be going crazy, Journal. Every night I'm having the same dream. I'm swimming in a pond filled with water lilies and I see a figure at the very bottom. Then suddenly I'm swimming and swimming toward it like my life depends on it. And then I'm at the bottom of the pond, staring her in the face. She's so unbelievably beautiful with her scarlet hair flowing around her and her red-and-gold robes drifting against her body. Merlin, I want to hold her to myself and just stay there forever. But as soon as I come close enough to touch, her eyes open and she speaks, "James."_

_January 21st _

_I understand now. I know the reason why I keep dreaming about her. I know why I'm always working on one potion or another to remind myself of her. And finally I realize why I can't stop thinking about her. I'm in love. It's a pity it took me until fourth year to figure that out._

"Who used to live in this house, Malfoy?" she asked him. No response came. Ginny turned around to find Draco at the window staring out into the blue sky, a dazed look across his face. She strode up to him and looked into his pale eyes.

"You'll be staying here for the night," he told her without taking his eyes off the cloudy landscape. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"Maybe for a few days if things get really bad." He pulled his traveling cloak further up on his shoulders. "Don't leave this house while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" From behind a bookshelf Draco retrieved a broom.

"If I told you," he said as he opened the front door, "you'd follow me." Without another word, he was gone in a flash, going faster on a broom than she had ever seen Harry.

She reached into her robes to retrieve her wand.

"Must've left it at Mum's," she mumbled angrily after several minutes of searching. Ginny threw herself onto the couch and decided to do some recreational reading while he was gone.

_February 14th_

_I never cared much for popularity. I don't want a fancy house or a nice broom. New things mean nothing to me. I wouldn't even mind if I failed all my classes. But the one and only thing I've ever wanted was her love. And he couldn't even spare me that. He could have anyone in Hogwarts. Any girl would be happy to be the one on his arm. But he just had to take the one person I loved. I've loved her for the past two years. Two full years of constantly trying to catch her attention. Two years of becoming a shy, babbling idiot whenever she walked by. Two years of dreaming of her every night and wishing that I'd never wake. The list goes on forever. But for some strange reason, all he has to do is wink and smile and she's his. What a great Valentine's day this is turning out to be._

_February 18th_

_I swear that Bellatrix is trying to drive me insane. These past four days have been hell for me. Every time I'd walk through the hallways and see that boy's face I want to kill him from taking her from me. Sleep was contorted into a series of twisting nightmares until waking into the equally miserable world. And now Cissy tells me that what her sister told me was a lie. Lily isn't going out with him. I think this is life's way of telling me that I finally have a chance. _

_February 20th_

_If I could go back in time I would. Maybe I might have just stayed clear of Potter and his little followers the day that they flipped me upside down. Or maybe I might have chosen not to call her a Mudblood. _

_March 9th_

_Black knows. She _knows_. And she's going to tell. Just because I'm closer to her dear sisters than she is doesn't give her a reason to hate me. But nonetheless she's made a goal to destroy my life, and she's doing a pretty good job of it. _

_March 10th_

_I wish Black would die. Both her and her sorry cousin. For the first time I saw the two actually talking to each other and laughing as well during breakfast. At first I found it just odd, but the moment they glanced at me I knew something was gravely wrong. Hell is coming, Journal. With fantasies of my humiliation and a toothy demonic grin, hell is coming. _

_March 13th_

_And hell has arrived in the form of a disgustingly handsome boy and his crew. And, of course, Bellatrix Black. The five of them approached me during lunch, conveniently when Lily was directly behind me. They all found a way to squeeze in on either side of me at the lonely corner where I usually sat. And then they let me have it. Several below-the-belt punches of untruthful fantasies they made up for me about myself and Lily. A few hexes and curses later, Lily eventually stood up in fury and humiliation and told me that she—_

"Weasley," a distant voice snapped. "Wake up." Ginny felt a sharp poke at her side. Her tired eyes traveled up to the face that hovered over her and the object he possessed.

"My wand!" she squealed with delight as she tore the slim stretch of wood from his hand. "How'd you make it past my family?" Curiosity mixed with disbelief was evident in her tone.

"Who said I had to get past anyone? They were out looking for you." He smirked at his final sentence, "But I left a note."

"Oh, Lord…"

" 'Dear Weasleys, Don't worry. Your daughter is safe in my care. That is, unless you consider hiding out in a deserted house for the purpose of complete privacy for God knows what safe. Anyhow, I'll have her back in a few days at the most. Or the least. Depends on what takes place in this lonesome little cottage. We may want a bit more time. But never fear; I'm sure she's having the time of her life. Sincerely, Draco Malfoy'."

Ginny gave him a fiery punch on the chest and slap across the face. He flinched, but refused to moan despite the bruise that was beginning to take form on both body parts.

"You're sick," she hissed as she pulled her arm back for another slap.

And he let her do it. Over and over again. To Draco, this couldn't hold a candle against what he endured as a Death Eater. In fact, pain was now a distant prick which was a constant reminder of the life he had once led. And that was the only thing making him flinch with every strike.

"Well?!" she screamed several blows later, her original spark of anger flaming into fury. "Aren't you going to fight back, you coward?" He grasped her wrist when it was only a few inches from his face and wrenched it downward, causing her to gasp in shock.

"_Don't_. I may be everything else you call me, but I'm not a coward," he said in a voice so quiet that she had to strain to hear. She opened her mouth to say something snarky and Malfoyesque, but something in his eyes made her vote against it.

"I'm sorry," Ginny heard herself say.

"You should be."

For a moment the two did nothing but look at one another, her wrist clasped between his fingers and palm.

"So what did you figure out about the diary?" Draco said, breaking the silence with a sudden change of subject.

"Well," Ginny began as she reached for the diary, "I haven't found much." Her slight movement caused her wrist to slip out of his grip. He did not, however, let go of her; he held her hand now. She didn't seem to take notice to this and continued to speak. "He knew your aunt, Bellatrix. Apparently he didn't like her much. Oh, and he knew her sister, Cissy. Is that your mother? Anyway, he hates Harry's dad. He keeps taking this guy's girlfriend, Lily. Or maybe his crush. I dunno. But any way you look at it, this boy's got a really unnatural obsession with this Lily girl. Oh, where did I hear that name? Lily, I mean. It's so familiar. Oh well, I'm sure that's not important. I'm still not sure of his name, but—"

"You talk a lot." Ginny frowned. He shrugged. "Well it's true."

"You asked me a question and I'm answering it. You don't have a reason to be an ass about me talking." He gave her another shrug.

"It's ok. I like when you talk."

"What?"

"I like the way your lips move when you talk." Ginny was suddenly aware that he held her hand. He gave her a sly smirk. "It's very sexy if you ask me."

"_What_?" His smirk disappeared.

"I told you that I don't repeat compliments, Weasley." She looked into his eyes to ensure that his words were not some sort of sick joke. It wasn't. His pale eyes were perfectly honest about the situation.

"How long am I going to be here with you?"

"Until tomorrow morning. Do you want to stay longer?" Ginny didn't know what to say. Saying yes would give him the impression that he had her in the palm of his hand, she thought to herself. But a no may take him away from her forever. _And I definitely want to see him again. Do I? _He looked at her for an answer. _Dammit Gin, think of something!_

"Do you want me to stay longer?" _You. Are. An. Idiot. _

"Why not? You're a bit annoying, but I'm getting used to you. Maybe I'm even getting a little attached." Ginny laughed.

"A little?" She lifted up her hand, revealing that he still had his own wrapped around it. "I beg to differ." Draco shook his hand away.

"If you knew me, you'd understand that that _is _a little attached."

She seemed almost amused. "What would you consider more than a little attached?"

"Well, there's this," he said as he took her by the waist and dragged her across the sofa so she nearly bumped into his crossed legs. "Hell, that's barely a friend."

"Oh really?"

Draco pulled her further in so she sat in his lap with her legs at either side of his hips. Ginny couldn't help but lean toward him more than she needed to. Seeing her reaction, Draco smiled and moved his face no more than an inch away from her.

"Want me to show you a lover?"


	4. Trip to the Malfoy Mansion

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments.

And thank you to the spiffeh people who _did _bother to review. Yeah, you heard me. I said "spiffeh".

Chapter 4

Draco arrived at the Malfoy Mansion only a few hours before sunrise. He walked coolly into the front room when he felt the sharp poke of a wand.

"State your name or die, bastard," a mannish female voice growled. Draco laughed aloud.

"You might poke someone's eye out, Bulstrode." The wand immediately was drawn back and the room was lit brightly. Draco spun around to find a husky woman with thick eyebrows and meaty arms looking particularly apologetic. "Pitiful," he murmured harshly as he strode past her into the next room. A long dining table lay before him with six wizards and witches sitting at it. A woman his own age with a puggish face and short hair clenched her jaw.

"Where…the _hell _were you?" she hissed into his ear once he took his seat beside her. He rolled his eyes and ignored her. The witch who sat across from him, an attractive woman with grey streaks in her raven hair, addressed her nephew.

"I can't help but agree, Draco. Where were you?"

"I was keeping my enemies close, Aunt Bella," Draco said, feeling the need to jump to his own defense. Bellatrix Lestrange conjured a glass of red wine from midair and took a sip before looking into Draco's eyes.

"Do you remember the original plan, dear?" she asked sweetly as if he was her own son.

"Of course I remember."

"You came back here yesterday telling _me_, the head of this group, that the plan has changed. At first, as you should know, I was furious at your boldness, Draco. But I didn't say anything. _This is my nephew_, I thought. _He's a smart boy. He knows what he's doing_. You said you would be back that night and explain everything. 'Just wait for me Aunt Bella. I'll be back soon.' And that's exactly what we've been doing. Waiting…for the last several hours. I think you should be aware, Draco dear, that the only thing I hate more than being disobeyed is being made a fool."

And then a streak of red light flew from Bellatrix's wand. It came as a blast of excruciating pain to Draco, but then grew stronger with every passing second. He was shaking uncontrollably when he heard his mother's scream in the distance.

"No, Bella! Please, not my baby, not Draco! Bella _stop_!" Draco's eyes rolled back into his head.

And it did stop. He found himself sprawled across the table in the fetal position. He opened his eyes to find a blue-eyed woman reaching out to him for an embrace. Bellatrix placed her hand on her sister's, letting Narcissa know that she could not help her son. The blonde woman broke into tears and buried her face in her hands.

"Don't make a fool of me again, Draco," Bellatrix said, her voice never wavering with the anger she felt inside.

"Let him be," Narcissa stuttered from behind her hands. Bellatrix gave her sister a sideways glance.

"Severus, please escort Narcissa into the kitchen and get her a glass of water." The greasy-haired pale man with a hooked nose nodded and nearly had to carry the trembling woman out of the room.

Once the two left, Bellatrix's eyes locked back on Draco, who had scrambled back into his chair.

"Let that be a reminder to you all for what happens to those who make fools out of me," she said to them all, but looking directly at her nephew. "Now, tell me why you chose to stray from the original plan."

"It wouldn't be a wise choice for another Auror disappearance the very next day after Lupin."

"But she's not an Auror," grunted Gregory Goyle. Draco rolled his eyes.

"That's not the point, dolt," Draco snapped at the interruption. "She's in a family of Aurors. If we give a bit of space between each disappearance, then we won't be tracked down like we were last time. Don't you all remember that?" He gestured to the empty chairs where Vincent Crabbe and Peter Pettigrew once sat. "We can't afford to lose another Death Eater." Pansy crossed her arms.

"So when do we kidnap Weasley?" she asked him. Draco picked at his fingernails.

"To tell you the truth, I don't feel like forcing her here. She'll put up a fight and scream, which will probably give us away. I suggest that I lure her here." An evil grin spread across his face. "Besides, I'm rather fond of the element of surprise."

"And how do you attempt to lure her? Seduction?" she spat.

"As long as he has no feelings for her, I see no problem in that," Bellatrix said.

"But Bellatrix, he'll just—"

"So it's final. You have one month, Draco. Lure the girl here by whatever means necessary and Potter will come running after like a fish on a hook." Pansy simply stared at the woman, a strong hatred growing in her eyes. Bellatrix, who didn't seem to notice the young woman's glare, stood up and left the room.

"Something's between you and Weasley," Pansy hissed once Bellatrix was out of earshot.

"There isn't."

"Don't play dumb, Draco. I know you slept with her last night."

"Well, I didn't." Pansy narrowed her eyes at her beau.

"Don't lie to me, Draco."

"Pansy, we've been through this before."

"And time and time again I've told you—"

"For God's sake will you both shut the hell _up_?" a voice snapped churlishly. The couple whirled their heads around to stare at the young man who hadn't spoken since Draco's arrival. Pansy gave him a hopeful glance as if to say _Come on, take my side for once. _Unfortunately, the young man ignored her pleading face. "Pansy, the man loves you. Stop trying to find every last flaw in him. He's clean."

For a moment she shoved a hateful glance into his face once she realized that he was no longer her close friend from Hogwarts, but just another man in her life who simply did what men do best: lie.

"Fine," she said, as if this sealed the argument. "Yet again the Parkinson girl has made a complete and utter fool out of herself," Pansy sneered at the two of them. "Let's go, Gregory," she said as she pulled the husky man from his chair by the arm.

"Oh, I'm _real _jealous," Draco shouted after them, and chuckled at the thought of such an odd couple.

"You've got to stop that, you know," the other young man said to Draco, narrowing his already slanted eyes at him. "Cheating on her, I mean." Draco leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table.

"Who said I was cheating?" The other man laughed aloud.

"You reek of sex, Draco. There's no doubt Pansy picked that up."

"And Aunt Bella?"

"That's why she gave you the job so easily. She knows the Weasley girl is in the palm of your hand." He twiddled his thumbs before speaking again. "The question is, why bother going through all this to just kill her?"

"_Kidnap_, Blaise, not kill," Draco reminded his friend. The man named Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"So why bother with her? We could have just kidnapped her in Knockturn Alley, like we were supposed to. You're not stupid, Draco. I know you wouldn't spend so much time on this. So what do you want her for?"

"I have my reasons," he said curtly. Blaise rolled his eyes and tipped his chair to balance on its two back legs.

"Where're you keeping her?"

"Snape's old place."

"And you're leaving her there alone? What if she stumbles across something dangerous?"

"Snape's a smart man," Draco said as he looked at the door to the kitchen. "He wouldn't leave anything that could cause harm. He'd probably take it with him in case he came across an Auror." Blaise nodded in agreement.

"So she's still at the cottage?"

"No. I took her back to her apartment. She's safe and sound." Blaise opened his mouth to speak, but Draco said the words for him. "And don't worry. I'm not going to barge into her place the next time I want to see her."

"So what'll you do?" Blaise said, slightly surprised that his friend already knew his concern. Draco's lips curled into a haughty smile.

"Oh, she'll know where to find me. I left a souvenir."


	5. Explanations

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments.

Not one, but TWO chapters finished. Started writing till I nearly fell over with fatigue, woke up the next morning just to finish up the chapter and upload them. Oh, the things I do for you guys…

Chapter 5

Yet again, Ginny Weasley found herself awakening in a different room than the one she had fallen asleep in. She now sat up in a patched, worn, and comfortable bed in a small room. Unlike the last bedroom she unexpectedly woke up in, this had a cozy feeling to it. The walls were painted a summery buttercup hue, a slightly cluttered dresser and desk sat on either side of the bed, and the air held a sweet, flowery scent that could soften even the most hostile mood. At once she recognized her surroundings, and considered that the last few hours were nothing but a dream.

_I knew this wasn't real! _Ginny thought to herself happily. _No waking up with Malfoy, no dreary little cottage, no Malfoy, no diary, no Malfoy, no sleeping with him, no—what's that smell? _She stopped herself in midthought and sniffed the air. _It smells like—sex. _She cupped her hand over her mouth as if she had said something terribly out of term. Ginny threw the covers off of her body to find that she was, indeed, naked.

"Couldn't even do so much as dress me," she muttered miserably as she reached for a robe that lay sprawled on the floor.

And that's when she heard his voice.

"Where's Ginny? I need to talk to her." She froze. _Harry_. Then a familiar woman's voice.

"What's all the hurry about? Would you care for a scone?"

"Harry hasn't seen her since yesterday, and I came as soon as I heard. Gin was taken out of our old home by that Malfoy rat. Did I tell you about that already?" And Ron was with him. _Damn_.

Ginny's first reaction was to lock the door immediately. Then she needed to do something about that smell…

"Oh please, Luna, just stall them for a few minutes?" Ginny murmured pleadingly, as if her roommate could actually hear. "I swear, Luna, if you could just—_where's my damn perfume?_ Ah, here it is." She held the pink bottle of clear liquid to her body and sprayed until at least half of it was gone. "And…clothes…" She rapidly shuffled through her drawers, suddenly forgetting where she placed her nightclothes in the midst of her haste. After nearly a minute of searching, she managed to find herself in a pair of baggy pants and a shirt Harry had lent her after she had had a nasty encounter with some pixies, ending of the destruction of her own shirt.

She then unlocked the door and jumped back into bed. The best idea, she decided, was to not leave the room at all. She knew she was a terrible actress, and if she came out of the bedroom she'd have to give an explanation to what happened when she left with Draco and why she smelled so strongly of perfume. Yes, pretending to sleep was _definitely _the smartest move.

Wrong.

Her brother was the first one to barge into the room and rush to her side.

"Ginny!" he screamed in a voice he would use if she carried a serious disease and only had a few days to live. "Are you alright? _What did he do to you?_"

Her already awake eyes fluttered open in pretend-fatigue and she released a surprisingly convincing yawn.

"Who?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Malfoy!" Ron shouted, shaking her by the shoulders. It didn't take long before Harry rushed in as well and took his place on the other side of her bed, his arms wrapping around her in a constricting hug. "Where did you go when you left with Malfoy?"

"Did he hurt you?" Harry asked desperately.

"I'll kill him!" Ron bellowed.

"Shouldn't you two talk to her one at a time? I think you're scaring her a bit," a far-off, dreamy voice said from the door opening. Both men glared at Luna's nonchalant face, then turned back to Ginny, who attempted the most shocked and frightened expression she could muster. Ron heaved an aggravated sigh.

"I'm coming back in five minutes," he murmured, and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

For fifteen long, uncomfortable seconds, Harry and Ginny stared at each other.

"Should I start?" she asked sheepishly. Harry placed a hand on her own.

"Do you love him?" he asked weakly. Ginny was taken aback by the question.

"No!" she answered quickly. "Of course not." Harry's smile was as weak as his question.

"Well, that's good. If you did, I suppose I'd have to kill him." Ginny laughed, pretending what Harry had just said was a joke. "So, what happened?"

"I don't remember," she whispered innocently. "I…I just remember apparating into this dark room, and Malfoy was there, and he made me drink this thick, disgusting liquid, and I blacked out, and then I was here, and—" she buried her face in Harry's chest. "I'm just so glad you here." She may have been a terrible actress, but she was an _excellent _liar.

As she expected, Harry pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering that he would get Malfoy back for this. Once they parted, Harry asked her about the night they went drinking. This, Ginny decided, she would tell him the truth about. He deserved to know.

"Just don't tell anyone," she pleaded when she saw the hatred in his eyes. Harry laughed and put an arm around Ginny.

"Would I ever tell anyone something like that?" he asked her in mid-chuckle, being sure to skate around promising her anything, for he had made a mental note to promptly let Ron and Hermione everything once he left the apartment.

Ginny knew he had gone from anger to laughter in far too short a time to be telling the truth, but decided to say nothing on the subject.

"I want to talk to Ron." Harry seemed surprised at her sudden change of subject, so she quickly added, "He's my brother, Harry." She knew if he stayed any longer with her, she would say something she really and truly would regret. So, in believing that he understood, the young man smiled kindly and let Ginny's older brother into the room as he left. "Nothing happened that I can remember, Ron," she said to avoid any accusations that she knew was coming her way. He sat on the foot of her bed and pulled out a slip of parchment from his robes.

"Explain," he demanded as he tossed the letter into her lap. She lifted it up and read it quickly.

_Dear Weasleys, _

_Don't worry. Your daughter is safe in my care. That is, unless you consider hiding out in a deserted house for the purpose of complete privacy for God knows what safe. Anyhow, I'll have her back in a few days at the most. Or the least. Depends on what takes place in this lonesome little cottage. We may want a bit more time. But never fear; I'm sure she's having the time of her life. _

_Sincerely, Draco Malfoy_

"_Well_?" Ron snapped when he realized she was no longer reading it and was simply staring at it with the strangest expression on her face.

"So he really did send it," Ginny muttered to herself in a voice that was clearly not soft enough, for her brother nearly shrieked,

"You _knew _about this?" Ginny's head bolted upward, shocked at the sudden increase of noise. "What happened between you two, and I want the truth. I know when you're lying." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"First of all, if you want people to tell the truth, stop interrogating them. Secondly, stop with all the melodrama, Ron." The redheaded man's face grew a shade to match his hair. "Look, all I remember is apparating to a big dark room and then I blacked out. The next thing I know, you and Harry are barging in and I'm being questioned like some sort of criminal." For a very short moment her brother looked as if he believed her, but then narrowed his eyes.

"So why are you drenched in perfume? If Malfoy raped you, he would flaunt it and not try to hide the smell."

"I put on the perfume so you two wouldn't think I cheated on Harry."

"You were just waking up when I came in with Harry. How could you have possibly sprayed perfume on yourself before we came in?"

With twenty-four years of practice on her side, Ginny somehow pulled out an extremely convincing lie. As she had done when she was ten, she began to mold herself into a pitiable sobbing mess. Ron, who was taken by surprise at her display, mechanically pulled her into a warm one-armed hug. She allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder heavily.

"R-r-ron, d-don't kill him," she sputtered through her tears. "He'll know, Ron." She bulged her eyes so they gave off a terrified stare.

"He'll know what?" he asked softly. "Please, Gin, tell me what happened." She shuttered, and began her tremendous lie.

"Well, we apparated into this strange little cottage that was old and abandoned. And he had this _really _creepy smile on his face, and I thought I was going to die. Then he told me that he wanted me." She gave a great sniff and wiped her nose to add effect. "But I told him no. And he said he would kill my family if I told anyone, and then he tried to take me." She gripped onto Ron's robes in fury. "But I fought, Ron, I _fought_." She twitched a bit. "He never was able to take me. By the time I got home, it was only an hour before you came. Nothing happened, but I wanted to take a shower because I just felt so _grimy_. But Luna would wake up, and I didn't want to tell her anything. So I tried to get perfume to do the trick. I can still smell him, that disgusting, sickening man."

For a few long moments, Ron sat in astonishment, unsure of what to say. Ginny, upon noticing he would not be speaking for a while, took the chance to get her brother and boyfriend out of the apartment.

"I think I need to be alone," she said quietly." Ron nodded and said something about seeing her next week. Ginny nodded absently and waited for the front door to slam shut. Once it did, she jumped back to life and went for the kitchen when she noticed that she was extremely hungry.

A young woman with long straggly dirty blonde hair and naturally bulging electric blue eyes sat at the table eating her breakfast.

"Scone?" the woman offered Ginny, gesturing to the plate of freshly baked biscuits. Ginny accepted and joined her. "Why'd you cheat on Harry?" Luna asked in a conversational tone when Ginny sat down.

"What makes you think I would do that?" she asked in shock as she began to chew. Luna added more clotted cream to her scone before responding,

"Well, Malfoy came in early this morning. Since he was half naked and you wore even less, I just assumed that you two spent the night together."

Ginny hated how Luna's voice was never accusing or angry. She figured that it would have been easier if she could just get angry at her and storm off instead of realizing that this woman was so trusting that it was impossible to lie to her. Ginny swallowed quickly and gave Luna a surprised expression.

"He _what_?"

"He was quite the gentleman, too. I would have never expected Malfoy to knock on the door and apologize for waking me up. Even though he said it in a very nasty tone, I was still a bit surprised that he would tuck you in and kiss you goodnight." Ginny stared at her roommate.

"How does he know where I live?" she squeaked. Luna shrugged.

"You're the biggest reporter of _Witch Weekly_. Who wouldn't find you?" Ginny nodded in agreement as she took another bite.

"You're right," she said as she swallowed.

"Does Harry know you had an affair?" Luna asked coolly. Ginny shook her head no.

"He's never _going _to know, either. I have to admit that it was quite nice seeing Malfoy in another light, but I have to stay true to Harry from now on. The man would die if I left him." On further thought, she added, "And I don't even know where meet Malfoy next if I were to want to see him again."

"Do you want to see him again?"

"Of course not! Malfoy was and always will be the root of my problems, and I refuse to look at that man again." Luna gave her a puzzled expression.

"That's strange. Malfoy said quite the contrary when he gave me this." She pulled an old book with a thinning cover that threatened to break off at any second and placed it on the table. "He says to go to the seventeenth page and read the second entry down. That is where you should find him."

Ginny flipped through the thin diary until she found the correct page. She scanned down to the second diary entry and began to read.

_April 9th,_

_Funny how everyone I've come to hate has died. Like our dismal DADA teacher, who's just recently died and has been buried a little off from the Hogwarts lake. Cissy reckons that I'm not blessed or cursed in any way, and that the professor was simply dying of old age. However, I refuse to believe it. And I wonder: why are Potter and his little followers still alive? Well, in good time they will all be dead and _I _will have the last laugh. Sometimes I even fantasize about the look on the last Marauder's face when he's dying all alone with no one to love him. No one around except my smiling face as I painfully kill him. Maybe it might be Potter, or even his ratty Pettigrew friend. Maybe it'll be Black, with all his cockiness stripped from him. Or maybe, just maybe, it will be that freak of nature werewolf who has done his fair share of making my life a living hell. _


	6. Funeral

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! But I DO have an excuse: school a.k.a. the root of evil. In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments.

Chapter 6

A cool winter wind flew past the Hogwarts cemetery which made its home near the lake, chilling the already somber hearts of those who bothered to arrive at the funeral. With few loved ones and even fewer family members, the burial of Remus Lupin was a brisk one. And of all the ten people who came, only one shed a tear.

Ginny watched her eldest brother embrace the uncontrollably sobbing widow and forced herself not to grin. Ginny could clearly remember what happened the last time she saw two friends that close at a Hogwarts funeral. She took a quick glance at Ron and Hermione's wedding rings, and hoped for the best. _Besides_, she thought bitterly, _Phlegm needs to learn rejection. It's not like she doesn't deserve it, the narcissistic git. _

She felt a sudden warmth in her right hand, and found that another hand had filled it in a loving grip. Ginny turned her head to the side and faced Harry, who attempted a kind smile despite the miserable atmosphere. He pulled her into tight hug, and a familiar sting came to her eyes.

_How could you do this? How could you sleep with Malfoy? And even during a funeral, you can't help but think about that one night. You disgust me, Ginny. You really do. _

"Ron told me, Gin. I'm so sorry," he whispered into her ear. She detached his arms from around her waist and stared at him.

"He _what_?" _Not Harry. I'll lie like that to anyone, but _not _Harry. _Why _do I have to do this to him? And why the hell did Ron tell him?_

"Malfoy will pay for this, I assure you," Harry promised, kissing her forehead.

"But—"

"Did he threaten you?" Ginny couldn't bear to look into his eyes and focused on his moving lips. He shook her by the shoulders. "_Did he?_" The sting in her eyes grew stronger along with the lie.

"H-he said," she began, choking on her first words, "that if anyone, _anyone _knew, he-he'd…" she buried her face in his chest and released a series of loud, embellished sobs. He pulled her closer until she could feel the beating of his heart. For less than a moment, a memory flitted across her mind of a point in time where she was held like this by Draco, and the thumping sensation came from someplace far from his chest…

_Keep your mind on the lie, Gin, _she scolded herself when she felt her mind drawing toward the memory.

"What did he say?" Harry asked in a voice so soft that she had to strain to hear.

"Th-th-that he'll _murder me_," she whispered in a terrified squeak.

"Excuse me," a timid voice said from beside them. The two broke apart and looked at the woman who had addressed them. She was very young, most likely in her late teens, with long curly black hair and deep Spanish eyes. She was, Ginny noticed, incredibly pretty. "I'm sorry to intervene," she said in her quiet girlish voice, "but are you Ms. Weasley?" Ginny nodded and pulled away from her beau to face the woman.

"Yes," Ginny responded with a short nod. "May I help you?"

"A man by the name of Bernard Stone wishes to see you." Ginny grimaced at the familiar name of her employer, who was definitely the type of person to interrupt her during a funeral on account of business. She thought briefly of snapping "Well, _I _don't wish to see _him_!" But that would most likely cause her to lose her job, and it pained her to imagine how terrified the poor girl would be to have to go back to the wicked Stone man and explain that Ginny was not fit to meet him. The older woman sighed and kissed Harry on the cheek.

"I'll be right back," she promised, and followed the girl to the castle. "So what's this all about?" Ginny asked the child. "And who are you?" she added.

"My name is Rosaura Perez, and my mother has a career at _Witch Weekly_. Since she's sick today, she told me to take over for a day. Mr. Stone didn't seem to have a problem with it, so here I am," she responded as they entered Hogwarts.

Ginny, who hadn't been inside the building since she was seventeen, was shocked that it stayed exactly the same, save for a few additional portraits. Only a few students could be found scampering around the school, as the rest of the children had left for their own homes on account of winter holiday.

A first-year pudgy red-faced boy confronted them on the fourth story.

"You're not supposed to be here," he snapped bossily at the two women, wagging a fat finger at them as he spoke. "You're both too _old_."

_The nerve of children_, Ginny thought coldly as both she and Rosaura ignored the boy and continued up to the fifth story.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked once she realized she was definitely walking for too long.

"Seventh story," the other woman replied shortly as they climbed the next staircase.

"You're not _allowwwed_," the boy whined, following them up the steps. Once Ginny and Rosaura made their way to the second to last floor, the staircase, which decided that it was tired of the boy's complaints, weakened one of its steps. The chubby child's foot broke through the stair step, causing him to trip and fall face-first onto the seventh story's floor. To Ginny's disgust and surprise, the woman at her side chuckled at the sight.

"That's terrible," Ginny scolded quietly as she went to help the boy stand up. As Ginny began to walk toward the child, she felt Rosaura grab her wrist in a grip that felt far too tight for someone her age and stature. She whirled her head around to find the girl's face twisted into a sweet grin that she seemed to be forcing onto her face.

"We mustn't keep Mr. Stone waiting," Rosaura said kindly, despite the threatening position she held Ginny in. The young woman stared at her, a small terror in her eyes. Rosaura, upon realizing Ginny's reaction, let go of her wrists and pointed to where the boy once struggled with the stairs. "See? He's just fine. Now let's keep on going. Your boss will surely have a fit if he finds that we're late." Ginny narrowed her eyes at the woman.

_It's a trap, Gin. Just walk away._

"I'm sorry, but I really have a funeral to get back to, Miss. Perez. Tell Bernard Stone that whatever he needs me to do will have to wait."

"But Ms. Weasley!" she protested. "Do you have any idea what will happen if he won't see you? Do you know what will become of my mother's job?" The girl dissolved into tears like an infant and fell to her knees, clutching Ginny's robes. "He'll fire my mother! Don't you understand, Ginevra? All will be lost!"

"What did you call me?" The teen looked up, unsure of what she had done.

"Pardon?"

"You called me Ginevra." Rosaura immediately stood up and pointed to a door opposite a painting of a wizard attempting to teach trolls ballet.

"It doesn't matter, Ginevra," she said, her voice now serious. "We're already here." The girl dragged a screaming Ginny by the wrists in front of the door. The redhead stopped to stare at the door.

"Haven't I been here before?" she asked, more to herself than to Rosaura.

"Of course you have," the other whispered into her ear, slowly opening the door.

"Who are you?" Ginny nearly shrieked. The child's lips curved into a wicked smile, and she shoved her into the room.

Ginny flew face-first into the room. She moaned as bits of blood dripped from her lip and splattered onto the polished wooden floor. There was the distant thud of a closing door and the clunking of shoes walking toward her. Someone placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her head up slightly.

"Episkey," a male voice murmured, and her bleeding lip was healed. Her face was pulled up further, and she suddenly felt her lips pressed against someone else's in a soft kiss. "There," the voice drawled, "all better."

_Open your eyes. _

"Malfoy," she hissed when her eyes flew open. She scanned the room, only to realize that it was none other than Draco's own bedroom. "Using the Room of Requirement to recreate your own bedroom. Clever," she said coldly. Ginny searched for Rosaura, and found a skeleton which was already turning to dust in the far corner. "And you manipulated the dead to lead me here. You're disgusting." Draco's face twisted into an almost Bellatrix-like smile which scared Ginny a bit.

"I am clever, aren't I?" he said with complete Malfoy arrogance as he stretched out an arm to help her up.

She looked into those pale grey eyes and knew at once what he was doing. The moment she took his hand, he would easily wrench her upward with such great force that she would conveniently fly onto the bed. The moment she took his hand she knew that her relationship with Harry would be destroyed. She couldn't do this to the man she loved, _not again_. However, a voice that was in no way connected with her morals hissed unfaithful thoughts into the back of her mind.

_You know you want to. Oh yes you do. Just look at him, Ginny. It's already happened once, twice if you count the first night. C'mon, three times and it's over._

One moment, she realized, would make her an outcast to her family and tear Harry's heart, body, and soul apart.

Using every thread of power to fight off the temptations which stared her in the face, she stood up on her own.

"I can't," she murmured, avoiding his eyes. Draco groaned.

"You're a talking type, aren't you?" he asked with obvious frustration. She looked quizzically into his eyes.

"The what?" she asked, knowing that whatever he meant, it was far from a compliment.

"You know," Draco said with obviousness in his tone, "the type of girl who can't sleep with a guy without telling him her life story." Ginny crossed her arms and narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"You're an ass." He rolled his eyes and sat on the bed. With legs stretched out, ankles crossed, and back propped up against the headboard, Draco motioned her to sit beside him.

"Fine," he surrendered to not trying anything on her. "What do you want to talk about?" Ginny didn't know whether to stand her ground or give up and sit by him. Surrendering as well, she decided to do the latter and lay down on her stomach on the bed. He smiled. "Atta girl. Now come on, tell me what's wrong."

The only thing that terrified Ginny more than a positively evil Draco was a genuinely caring Draco. She stared at him, trying to detect any sense of a sneaky plan or anger in his eyes, but found none. _He really does want to know_, she thought to herself in disbelief. Ginny's emotions must have been displayed on her face, for Draco seemed to be reading her very thoughts.

"I'm not despicable all the time, you know," he said. "So tell me what's wrong." Draco smirked. "Or should I guess? I do rather well at that game." Ginny shook her head no and began to speak.

"It's Harry."

"Knew that."

"I hate hurting him." She couldn't bear to look at him. Talking about personal issues between Harry and herself made her feel as if she were breaking a promise, especially when talking about that to the likes of Draco Malfoy.

"Does he know about us?" Ginny sat upright and looked him dead in the eyes.

"There _is _no us," she said icily, crossing her arms sharply. Draco smirked.

"For now," he added. Ginny gave out a great cry of frustration.

"You don't _get _it, do you? I have Harry and you have Parkinson. I don't know about you but I love him, and would never give him up, especially for a pompous git like you! I've made the mistake of sleeping with you, and I don't intend to do it again. So please, Draco, _please_, refrain from seeing me ever again." The man's smirk widened.

"You called me Draco."

"That's your name, isn't it?" she snapped. Draco didn't respond, giving her the mixed signal to leave. Relieved, she hopped off the bed. At the halfway point between the bed and door, he spoke.

"Ginny." The word coming from his lips made her cringe. She turned on her heels and faced him.

"_What_?" Draco shrugged.

"Just experimenting with the name, since we're on first name basis now. It's not as regal as Ginevra, but it sounds nicer when it rolls off the tongue." Ginny rolled her eyes and continued for the door. "By the way," he said in afterthought, "you won't be able to leave. I'm in complete control of the room, remember?" Ginny, who was in reach of the doorknob, pulled out her wand and aimed at the door. "Don't try it," Draco said, forcing her to shove the wand back into her robes. "Now," he said smoothly, his voice drawing nearer with every word, "I suggest you turn around, come back to bed, chat, and perhaps you'll be rewarded with a snogging session, hmm?" Ginny felt stone-cold hands grasp her own from behind and force her to hug herself while being pushed against Draco's front. "Or we can just stay here."

_Don't fight him_, a voice inside her head suggested. _It'll only provoke him, and you and Harry will certainly be over. Give him everything he demands, and leave his life forever. Hell, you might have a bit of fun. We both know you did last time. _

"What do you want?" Ginny asked fiercely. Draco lowered his face so close to the side of her own that for a quick terrifying and lustful moment she thought he might kiss her ear. Instead, he spoke.

"You already know, Ginny."

"Power, sex, and money?" Draco laughed softly into her ear.

"I mean something that I don't already have."

"A heart?" Another spine-chilling, heart-pounding laugh.

"Someone to share the power, sex, and money with."

"Parkinson." He shook his head.

"Pansy's the sort of woman who'd crumble under anything slightly out of her comfort zone."

"And I'm not?"

"You've faced the Dark Lord's possession at age eleven, became a member of Dumbledore's Army, endured the torture of being Potter's girlfriend for numerous years, and you've even slept with the enemy. I know for a fact that in my arms is the absolute last place you want to be."

_You need to get your facts straight then, Draco. _

"It is," she said.

"Liar," he murmured as he kissed her hair. He released her for less than a moment only to spin her around and pull her to him so they faced each other. "I can sense a lie a mile away." She allowed herself to lean into him.

"I can't," she said in a tone that proved that the words caused her great pain to say. "I want to," she admitted, "but Draco, I just can't." Draco, expecting yet another lie, was surprised at her honesty. "I know it sounds foreign to you, but cheating on someone I've dated for quite a long time results in guilt. And I crack under guilt." She rested the side of her face against his chest and sighed. "It's just that Harry's just never changed. The whole superhero act gets tiring after awhile, you know? Don't get me wrong, being heroic is wonderful and all, but it's just so _boring_. Then you walk in with this spontaneous attitude where you're snide, then lustful, then sweet, then something completely different than them all. And now I'm stuck between someone different and someone who I have history with."

"You're right," Draco said calmly. "You do crack under guilt." Ginny chuckled and looked at him.

"So what happens now?"

"We snog, don't tell Potter about anything, and see each other again tomorrow night." Ginny shook her head.

"If only it was that simple. Besides, I'll be away for the next three days. I have an interview with some _Playwizard _model. The article is supposed to be about how these women are just like every other witch you see. Problem is, she's notorious for being a complete airhead." Draco laughed.

"I'll write, then." Ginny smiled and took the risk to kiss him on the cheek.

"That'll work." Draco grinned and decided to go a step further and kiss her full on the lips.

--

Four hours and fifty-two minutes later, Ginny lay on her stomach with her head rested on Draco's chest as he absently ran his finger up and down her backbone. She wrapped a freckled arm around his middle and pulled herself closer to him. The bed sheets had been pushed down to their hips, for the room had grown noticeably warmer in the past few hours. Whether the place was warmed by Draco's imagination or her own body heat she did not know nor care. What she did know was that she would have been glad to remain in that position with Draco for the rest of her life.

"You should get dressed," he said eventually. "Your family is probably looking for you, and that stupid little fat boy would have told everyone that they saw you by now." Ginny propped her chin on his chest and looked into his eyes.

"I like staying here with you," she said with a coy smile. Draco's hand rested on the curve of her back.

"I'll see you again," he reasoned, and gave her a soft kiss. "Now get dressed and think up a good lie. You'll need it when Potter starts bombarding you with questions." They both laughed as she pulled on her underclothes. "Do you love him?" he asked in a surprisingly serious voice. Ginny had just finished fully dressing herself when she responded.

"Yes." To her relief, his face displayed no sign of hurt or pain.

"Then I suggest you leave quickly. The poor man might die if he lived another second without you."

"What about you? Won't you be sad when I'm gone?" Draco smiled.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm sure I'll survive. Now go on. I'll see you in a few days." Ginny leaned over from where she stood and kissed him goodbye.

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	7. Callista and Everard

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Whoo! Another chapter finished. I can't exactly say that I'll be updating soon, but enjoy anyway. R&R please. Thanks!

Chapter 7

_Dear Draco, _

_It's true. American witches _are _stupider. I arrived at New York City by portkey, and was sent to this amazingly elegant hotel suite. You wouldn't believe it, Draco. The living room area alone is roughly five times the size of my own apartment living room. Just when I thought it was too good to be true, I found that the three _Playwitch _models I'm supposed to be interviewing will be staying with me in my room for the whole time. So, in essence, any content I've ever had with the way my body looks has been diminished. _

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Ginny_

Draco grinned at the letter as the spotted owl sat on his windowsill, expecting a meal. He looked up at the twittering bird, and slammed the window on it, nearly cutting off one of its talons. It gave an angry screeching hoot and flew off while Draco chuckled at it.

"Who's it from?" an accusing voice said from the doorway. He spun around in his chair, letter in hand, and faced the young woman who had spoken.

Draco knew that she had something on her mind, for hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun with several locks falling into her face; this was how he'd seen her wear her hair when something was terribly wrong. She wore her usual bedclothes: a plain-looking camisole and bottoms which hung loosely at her hips.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, knowing that she had certainly been fully awake for the past few hours.

"Who's it from?" Pansy repeated forcefully.

"Incendio," he said casually, touching the tip of his wand to the piece of parchment. It burst into orange flames and fell to the ground, continuing to burn until Draco stomped out the flames, leaving nothing left to read. He looked up at her furious face. "No one," he responded in his calm voice. For a moment he thought she might throw something, and readied himself to duck at any moment. Instead, she made her way to his bed and sat on it.

"I know it's from that Weasley girl," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't need you and Blaise to convince me that it's not her. So what is it that she has that I don't?" Her voice cracked with emotion on the last word.

_Here we go again_, Draco thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

"Is it her hair?" she asked desperately as she touched her wand to the top of her head. "I can change that." She murmured something under her breath and the band that held her hair in the bun snapped and ricocheted off the ceiling and into Draco's lap. Her hair was a flaming red hue. This time Draco did roll his eyes.

"Don't get carried away, Pansy." She refused to listen to him. Giant tears began to form in the corners of her distressed eyes.

"Or is it her skin?" An instant passed, and she was covered in freckles. Within moments, she became a sobbing redheaded mess.

This reminded Draco of Valentine's Day in his fifth year. Back when Pansy didn't constantly pick at his last nerve. He was in Hogsmede, looking for some chocolate for him and Pansy to share when he saw Cho Chang (who he had had a crush on since his first year) running out of one of the small restaurants crying her eyes out. He stopped to stare at her as it began to rain. For a split moment their eyes met, and then she disappeared. No more than a few seconds later, the Potter boy came out of the same place. He was able to put two and two together, and realized that Potter and Cho were done for.

_What a sucker_, he thought to himself and made the grave mistake of grinning at the memory.

A screech of anguish filled the room.

"What's s-so damn _funny_?" she screamed. Like Ginny, Draco knew how to make up a lie on the spot; a trait he definitely inherited from his father. He added another chuckle and sat on the bed next to her.

"You're being so stupid," he said with a laugh, aiming his wand at her and returning her body back to normal. Draco kissed her on the forehead. "Why would I ever want Weasley if I already have you?" Knowing that saying this would melt her heart, he gave her a warm hug. When they parted, Pansy asked again (in a noticeably kinder voice),

"Then who was the letter from?"

"Rookwood," he said shortly.

"Then why'd you burn it?"

"It's confidential information, luv. Can't tell anyone."

"Oh, come on," she pressed, stroking her hand through his silvery-blond hair. "You can tell _me_, can't you?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Then why not tell me now?" Draco heaved a great sigh and looked around as if the chairs might be listening before leaning close to her ear.

"He has—"

_BANG! _

The entire Malfoy Mansion shook. Both Draco and Pansy jumped out of bed, as well as the rest of the Death Eaters who dwelled in the mansion.

"What the hell was that?" Draco heard Theodore Nott shout. Draco didn't have time to scream at the man to shut up, for he tore down the long hallway along with all the others who slept on that floor.

Bellatrix was the first to arrive at the front door, Narcissa and Severus not far behind. By the time the others arrived Snape had restored the blown-apart door with a simple charm. A grown man was bleeding heavily out of his side. Either arm was slung around the neck of two people who stood on both sides of him, keeping him from collapsing. The man's head rose slowly to look into Bellatrix's eyes just as she drew her wand.

"Don't," he pleaded weakly. With a flick of his wand, Nott lit the room brightly, revealing the three strangers who blew their way into the mansion.

To Draco's absolute shock, the man who was dying was, indeed, Augustus Rookwood. The two people who held him up, a young witch and wizard, lowered him delicately onto the floor. Bellatrix, who was still unconvinced, knelt at his side and touched the wand to his throat.

"What was the last thing you said to me before you left?" she tested. The man breathed in short, painful rasps.

"That I…I would d…die tonight." By the way he winced with every syllable, Draco knew that each word was excruciating to him. Bellatrix glanced at the young witch and wizard and addressed Rookwood.

"And who are they?" she said dryly. He turned and vomited a great deal of blood onto her shoes. Bellatrix fought the urge to kick him in the stomach, and gave him a look of utter disgust instead.

"You know who they are," he wheezed. "The Unbreakable Vow, Bellatrix. Don't you remember? If I am not able to—" And she did kick him in the stomach as hard as she could. The young woman screamed and ran toward them, only to be pulled back by the wizard with whom she came with.

"Don't bother," Bellatrix said lazily. "He's already dead." The woman raised her wand. Draco's aunt laughed wickedly. "You don't want to do that, dear. As soon as your father dies, you're under my control. Or did he not tell you that?"

"Rookwood has children?" Severus said in astonishment. "Children who he raised? But he's such a..a…" For the sake of the man's children, Snape didn't end his sentence. Unfortunately, Draco didn't see what the problem was with continuing.

"A whore," he finished. Both children stared at Draco in disbelief, giving him a chance to look into both of their faces.

The man was roughly his age. With shoulder length wavy chestnut hair, pale, porcelain-like skin, a slim build, and a sneaky face, he was an exact replica of his father. _Merlin, he even sneers like Rookwood_, Draco thought to himself as the son looked from his father's lifeless body to Bellatrix. However, the young man didn't share his Rookwood's muddy brown eyes. He held his mother's (whoever she was) aquamarine ones.

Draco guessed that the girl came from a different mother, for she didn't look like her half-brother in the least. Her deep black hair fell in waves at the middle of her back. She had a round, oval face with nicely shaped eyebrows which framed dramatic black eyes. She was, Draco couldn't help but notice, blessed with veela-like beauty. What shocked him the most wasn't just her features, but the way she used them to express herself in the face. Unlike any other woman with her beauty, she gave off an energy that was the farthest thing away from dainty. Her eyebrows, though perfectly arched, were set in a furious frown. Striking, attractive lips curled into a vicious snarl while her curvaceous body leaned forward in a menacing stance. _This woman_, he mused, _puts a whole new meaning to dreadfully beautiful. _

"Who _are _you?" It was all Draco could manage to ask them.

"Callista and Everard Rookwood," Bellatrix answered indifferently. "Come to fulfill their father's duty."

"Of what?" Pansy ventured to ask. Bellatrix spun around, her emerald nightclothes twisting around her legs and waist like a giant snake.

"Serving the Dark Lord's chosen heir to power," she said in a voice that suggested Pansy ought to have known that. Her dark eyes then shot in Draco's direction. "I truly don't see why you still care for her, dear. She is such a stupid girl." Pansy's face grew a bright shade of red. "Useless," Bellatrix murmured as she turned back to the two newest Death Eaters. "From this moment on, Rookwood children, you are my servants. Disobey me, and there will be severe consequences."

"I am no one's servant!" Callista roared savagely, spitting at Bellatrix's feet. "You don't know me, Bellatrix Lestrange. I'm not a trained dog like the rest of your chattels."

To everyone's shock, a small grin took form on Bellatrix's face. _Surely the girl will be killed_, Draco thought to himself. _Aunt Bella simply wouldn't take that._

"Come here, Callista. I want to look at you," Bellatrix said in a voice that lingered somewhere between vague anger and interest. The girl didn't budge. "Come here," she repeated, her voice unchanging.

Draco didn't even see his aunt draw her wand. It was like being possessed by the Dark Lord; one moment one thing happened, and in a flash, the scene would change without explanation to how it happened. Only a second ago, Callista refused to come to her new master. A second later, the girl lay squirming on the floor beside her father, chains constricting nearly every inch of her body. Bellatrix kicked Rookwood out of the way to kneel before the young woman. She forced Callista's head up and looked directly into her eyes.

"Such a pretty girl," she said in an almost maternal fashion. "You must hate that, don't you? No one takes you seriously, so you make sure that everyone knows that you are not one to play games with, that you're not like the other girls." Her voice was distant, as if recollecting a childhood memory. "That's why you're like this, aren't you?" Callista didn't respond. "Cheeky, insolent girl who doesn't take shit from anyone," she said more to herself than to anyone else. She then addressed the young woman. "I like you," she decided, and stood. "Everard, you're sleeping in Draco's room." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you are not to enter the bedroom of anyone of the opposite sex. I know your father, and I know he's a terrible teacher. Now get to bed. We've a long day ahead of us."

"What about Callista?" Narcissa asked her sibling, gesturing to the woman who still lay on the wooden floor in chains. Bellatrix glanced at the girl.

"I like you," she told Callista in the same twisted maternal voice, "but children need to be disciplined. Good night, dear."

And the mansion was filled with darkness once more.


	8. American Witches

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Whoo! Another chapter finished. I can't exactly say that I'll be updating soon, but enjoy anyway. R&R please. Thanks!

Chapter 8

"Oh no, my _baby_!" a high-pitched woman's voice squealed. Ginny's tired eyelids slowly rose to find a blonde girl with a sickeningly perfect body cuddling a spotted owl and caressing its bruised leg in the next bed. "I'm sowwie you got hurt. I bet whoever Ginny-winnie was sending a letter to was a jerky-werky. Wasn't he, Princess?" Ginny rolled over and read the clock on the far wall.

_9:03. Damn. And I was hoping that I might sleep through the whole three days. Oh well. It was worth a try. _

"Ginny, when's the interview?" a voice asked. Ginny sat up in bed and forced a smile. Two other models were putting on makeup and looking at her expectantly through the vanity mirror that one of them brought along.

_Gina and Eva_, Ginny thought, practicing their names in her head. _Gina the brunette with the high cheekbones, Eva the blonde with the too-wide smile. _She took a glance at the woman who continued to croon over her owl's leg. _And Jewel, the stupidest of them all_. She forced herself not to chuckle at her thoughts and turned back to Gina and Eva.

"Ten-thirty's the scheduled time, but we can start at any time you like."

"Let's start now!" Eva chirped, jumping onto Ginny's bed like an over-excited four-year-old. "I wanna go first!" _Be nice, Ginny. Must be nice. _

"Alright," Ginny yawned. "I suppose we can start now." _It's not like I have to get dressed or anything. But hell, you could have waited till I was fully awake. _Wiping her eyes, she opened her suitcase and withdrew a Quick Quotes Quill (recently jinxed by Hermione to write what was actually being said) and a sheet of parchment. "So who's going first? Eva?" Eva nodded happily. "We have to go to a secluded place where there will be no distractions."

"Like the bathroom? That's pretty secluded, because I remember going to a huge party and I met this guy and we really hit it off so we went into the bath—"

"The bathroom's just fine."

"Okay!" she said in her usual over-bubbly voice. "Let's go." Ginny let herself lock arms with Eva and get dragged into the large bathroom.

"Are you going to take my picture?" she asked, striking a pose only a professional model could manage.

_Do you _see _any cameras around, stupid? _

"No, Eva. Now, let's get to work." Ginny placed the quill on the piece of parchment and looked directly at the young model, who now adopted a noticeably seductive way of sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "Okay, let's begin." The Quick Quotes Quill immediately stood on end, waiting for Ginny to speak again. "Well, Eva, I'm sure every woman has wanted to spend a day in the life of a beautiful model like yourself. Could you give me a quick run through an average day?" She quickly glanced at the quill to make sure it was working correctly (even with a jinx, they tended to exaggerate on some things).

_Ginny Weasley: Well, Eva, almost every woman in the wizarding world would love to have your life despite the fact that I personally believe you're an absolute slut for working for such a demeaning magazine. Tell us about the exciting adventures in the Playwizard Mansion, where women are treated less than animals!_

Ginny crossed her legs to hide what the quill was furiously scribbling down. Clearly Hermione jinxed it to write what the reporter was thinking instead of what she was saying.

Eva giggled and twirled a lock of her hair.

"Weeellll, first I wake up. Then I read all my fan mail. You'd be surprised just how many people are _so _in love with me! Actually, I'm not that surprised. I mean, just look at me. How could you _not_ want to be me?"

_Oh Lord_, Ginny thought to herself, _I think I'm going to be violently ill. _

"—and after the facial, I use this really handy spell to add more shine to my hair. And it works, no? I mean just look how my hair glimmers. It's okay, you can touch it. I know you want to." Ginny refrained from rolling her eyes and slapping all the makeup off of her pretty face. Instead she forced the fakest smile she could muster and stroked the unnaturally bright hair of the Playwizard model.

_Two more days, Gin. You'll live. I hope. _

--

_Dear Ginny, _

_I hope you're having a great time on your business trip. I can't wait to see you again. Three days is going so slowly for me when it's spent without you. Especially after what happened with _him_. I know it sounds weird, but after that incident I want to be around you all the time. I want to protect you, Ginny, from not just Malfoy, but all the evils in the wizarding world. And it's killing me that I can't. Because I love you Ginevra Molly Weasley, and I always will. Never forget that. _

_Loving you forever,_

_Harry_

"Want a tissue?" Ginny jumped at the words and whirled her head around to where the voice came from. In the next bed over, a perfectly tanned witch with wavy brown hair framing attractive high cheekbones held a tissue out to the woman who was to interview her in the morning. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Gina's deep brown eyes dropped to the floor, her delicate arm still holding out the tissue.

Ginny was afraid to speak, for she knew her voice would crack with emotion. She did, however, hastily grab the tissue and wipe her eyes.

"Homesick?" Gina guessed.

"You could call it that," Ginny said between blows of the nose.

"At least you'll be free of ditzy models tomorrow night." Ginny was thankful for the darkness and the dim light of the _lumos _spell, for the color of her face soon harmonized with that of her hair. Realizing by the silence that her comment was rather accurate, Gina laughed. "I'm a witch, too. I know that people think they know my personality based on my profession or my choices."

"True."

"Kinda like just because you went to school with Harry Potter and is his best friend's sister, everyone expects an adorable reporter-auror married couple." Ginny paled.

"_What_?"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Gina leaned forward, expecting an answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't bother with false headlines about which couple is doing what," she said defensively. The model smiled genuinely and continued to speak.

"But since we're friends—"

"We're not."

"Well, being a woman, I think I'm obliged to tell you a little something about what those headlines that everyone is reading are saying."

"They're not true. That's all there is to it."

"Oh, but the people reading them don't know that."

"That's their problem, not mine."

"But what about all the romantic details of your life that they think are real?" Ginny looked Gina dead in the eyes (or rather, in the area where she assumed the eyes were, for she could barely see in the darkness).

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you," she said firmly, and placed her body in a sleeping position.

"What about that Malfoy fellow? Rumor has it that you're falling for him." Ginny froze, terrified to look at Gina.

"Those rumors are wrong," she said, hoping that she sounded calmer than she felt. "I don't know where anyone would get that idea, and if you must know, I thoroughly despise Draco Malfoy. Now, I have to get to sleep if I'm going to be giving an interview tomorrow. Good night, Gina."

"Good night," Gina echoed. And for a split second, Ginny could have sworn she heard the other woman murmur, "You're a liar, Weasley. You _do _love him."

--

_May 30th_

_It's been such a long time since I last cried. I don't think I can even remember the last time I've ever been this insanely in love and jealous and hateful all at the same time. I saw them snogging on the way to Potions today. He doesn't deserve her. He doesn't. That should be me holding her, caressing her beautiful scarlet hair, kissing her, loving her. What does Potter know about love? About anything outside of making my life hell? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She belongs to none other than me, and if I can't have Lily Evans, no one can. _

Ginny shivered at the last few words. _If I can't have Lily Evans, no one can. _The Knight Bus screeched to a stop and she watched a young blond man pick up his things and walk off the bus into the still black morning. _Less than an hour left, and I'll be home_, she thought inwardly, and continued her reading.

_July 18th_

_Today I'm home alone. Blissfully alone and away from family. And Potter. Especially Potter. No more hellish classes with the Gryffindors. No more being teased. No more teachers who have grown to hate me. No more torture. And hell, I've even grown a bit more confident. I think I may just talk to Lily today. Strange how we've been living next door to each other all these years, and we haven't spoken once. Today I speak to her. Today I tell her that I love her._

She turned the ragged, yellowing page only to find a single undated entry of five words scribbled in quick, furious strokes:

_Lily Evans WILL love me_

And that was the last entry of the diary. She stared at the entry, as if it were going to jump out at her.

_He's insane_, she thought to herself. _Poor man's probably living in an asylum now. _She sighed to herself and put a hand over the book. The inside binding, she noticed was strangely jagged. _Almost as if he…_

"Ripped the pages out," she finished her thought aloud as she looked down at the open book. Sure enough, several pages had been viciously ripped out, leaving the short uneven edges of where the Prince didn't bother to take out. She lifted the diary to her eye level to get a better look at it. "But why? What's he trying to hide?" she murmured. _Oh God…what did he do to her?_

The young redhead was so engrossed in her thought that she nearly missed her own stop.

"Locomotor trunk," she murmured, pointing her wand at her own luggage. _Lily Evans_, she continued to think to herself as she trotted off the bus. _Where have I heard that name? Harry had mentioned that name before. _All thoughts of The Prince and Lily came to a screeching halt once Ginny's beau was mentioned.

_Harry. _

_I want to protect you, Ginny, from not just Malfoy, but all the evils in the wizarding world. _She read a piece of his letter in her mind.

"If only you knew," Ginny murmured to no one in particular as she climbed the stairs of her apartment building, "that I've been sleeping with one of the evils of the wizarding world."

"_What about that Malfoy fellow? Rumor has it that you're falling for_ _him." _The words of Gina echoed in her head.

"Strange woman," she thought aloud. Ginny stopped in front of her door and pulled a key out of her robes. "How could she possibly know? Unless Draco told her." She laughed at this thought. "He wouldn't."

_But back to The Prince_, a voice in her head reminded her. _You still need to know his story. _

"Enough of The Prince," Ginny told herself as she opened the door. "I'll get to him tomorrow. Besides, he's scaring me a bit and…" Her voice trailed off. On the patched-up living room sofa, legs sprawled lazily apart, sat Draco Malfoy. In one hand he balanced two glasses of wine between his long, thin fingers. In the other lay a small stack of ragged papers which had grown a light yellow color with age.

"Come sit down, Ginny," he drawled, a sly grin playing upon his lips. "We've got quite a bit to read tonight."


	9. Fabu Verbus

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Whoo! Another chapter finished. I can't exactly say that I'll be updating soon, but enjoy anyway. R&R please. Thanks!

Chapter 9

Snape's skinny, pallid fingers rushed frantically through his desk like ten long white spider legs blundering through a sea of disorganized papers in the gas lamp's dim light.

_Where are they?_ he thought impatiently. _Just yesterday I was reading it. Where could it be? Someone must have taken it. But why? Who? _He mentally named all the current residents of the Malfoy Mansion.

_Millicent Bulstrode?_

_No, too stupid_, a small voice in the back of his mind told him.

_Goyle?_

_Can he read? _

_Nott? Zabini? _

_Perhaps_, he thought. _They _are _the sort of people to take my things and give them to another in exchange for a bit of pocket change, the fools. But who? Who'd pay them to take it?_

_Lestrange? _

_No. _

_She's done it before, or do you not remember?_

"I don't want to," he murmured to himself, clutching the paper in his hands so hard that it ripped in two.

_But who else?_

_Parkinson?_

_She has nothing against me._

_Dra-_

"Severus?" Snape twisted his frustrated, greasy head to the side and laid his eyes upon the attractive blonde who stood in the doorway wearing an expensive-looking nightgown.

"_What_?" he growled, whirling his eyes back to scanning through papers.

"What are you doing up so late?" Narcissa asked. She had always known her friend to be the sort of person to be asleep at four o'clock in the morning. By the way his naked shoulders and back hunched over his small desk so intently, she knew he was thinking of Lily. Or perhaps that piece of his diary she found.

"_I'm sick and tired of his lies, Cissy!" Lily roared, pacing the small cottage in which she and her fiancé lived. "And now…now it turns out that he'd been living this whole secret life." She threw the stack of papers she clutched in her right hand to the floor. "I told him everything. _Everything_. How long does he think he can hide this from me Cissy?" The livid redhead shook Narcissa roughly by the shoulders. "HOW LONG?" _

Narcissa shoved that memory to the back of her mind and concentrated on waiting for Severus' response.

"Not sleeping," he said curtly without glancing at her. She rolled her eyes. "And you?" he added after a few moments of silence.

"Just thinking," she said distantly. "This house holds so many memories." Narcissa sighed. "It isn't the same without Lucius."

"Mmm."

"I miss having someone to talk to. Don't you?" Snape paused momentarily before continuing his rush to find his lost papers. A long silence fell between them, the only sound being the constant flipping of parchment. The blonde inched toward Severus and put a delicate manicured hand on his shirtless shoulder. He seemed to have no reaction, so she ventured to squeeze his shoulder lightly. "You miss her, don't you?" she said quietly. Narcissa felt her friend's skin go from cool to icy. He shoved her hand off him and eventually looked her in the eye.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"I miss Lucius, and I know you feel the same way about Lily."

"_Don't _say her name."

"You still love her, Severus. Wallowing in your misery isn't going to do anything."

"So you want me to wallow with you?"

"I want you to talk to me," she said as she sat on his small cot. "It'll be just like Hogwarts, when—"

"You want me to be your Lucius." Severus knew he had hit a sensitive point when Narcissa's face fell. He continued to dig into her bruised heart. "I can't, Cissy. I know you want to take the place of my lost one while I pretend to be your husband. It would be great if that worked in real life, but it doesn't."

"Yes it does," she said with a determined look on her face.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because…" she stopped herself before she said anything she regretted.

"Because what?" he snapped. At that moment Narcissa began to cry. "Oh, stop it," he said apathetically. "Lucius and Lily are dead. There's no point in living off of our memories."

"Then why are you still looking for that piece of diary that drove Lily away from you?"

Snape momentarily thought of telling her to get out, but another thought flashed into his mind. _Could she…?_

"How do you know what I'm looking for?" he asked curiously.

"I know you. Whenever you're thinking of Lily, you pull out The Pages." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Where is it?" he demanded roughly. Narcissa, who thought he would have a completely different reaction, looked taken aback.

"What?"

"You heard me, Narcissa. Where are they?"

"Severus, you're my best friend and I lo—"

"Where is it?"

"I didn't take it, for heaven's sake!" she screamed, standing up. They were nose to nose now. She was shaking. "Why must every conversation we have turn into an argument? All I want, Severus, is a shoulder to cry on. Why can't you just give me that?" She collapsed onto the floor then, head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Emotion tugged on the shriveled up thing Severus called a heart as he knelt beside her and lifted her onto the bed. She lay curled up in a shaking, crying ball on his cot as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Snape had forgotten how delicate she had grown after her husband's death in Azkaban. "Be my Lucius," she said through tears, "And I'll be your Lily, my Prince."

_That name_, he said to himself as a memory clouded his thoughts.

"_You sure your parents won't get mad?" Lily asked. Two of the four walls of Severus' bedroom were covered in bookshelves filled with potions and thick, old-looking books. A small bed was nestled comfortably in the far corner of the room with a lamp on either side. Otherwise, the place was completely empty. Severus laughed. _

"_My mum's at work."_

"_And your dad?" Severus scrunched his hooked nose in disgust. _

"_He's been gone for the past five years." The redhead cupped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. _

"_Oh my God…I…I'm so sorry." He rolled his eyes. _

"_He's an arse anyway. I really don't care." Her jaw dropped. _

"_Severus Snape, don't say that about your father!" _

"_Don't call me that. I prefer my mother's maiden name."_

"_Which is…"_

"_Prince." The teen's rose petal lips curved into a smile as she wrapped her arms around Severus' neck. _

"_Prince. I like that. My Prince." _

Snape found himself so lost in the memory that he didn't realize that he had been rocking a sleeping Narcissa in his arms. And at that very moment, when he knew no one as awake to watch, Severus broke down and began to cry.

--

_July 29th_

_Ten days. It's been ten days since I confessed my love to Lily Evans. Ten days since she gave me that look of utmost surprise, then slight embarrassment. Ten days since she yelled at me, thinking this was all some sick joke. Ten days since I've seen her face. _

_And still, my heart aches for her. _

_However, something good _has _come out of all this time. I've been looking up different charms and spells in Mum's old box of books under the bed. Could you imagine that, Diary? Hiding away everything that hints you are a witch under your bed in a box! All to hide from your good-for-nothing husband. Well too bad, Mummy. Dad found out I was a wizard when I turned eleven. At least the bastard stayed for my first two years of Hogwarts. But hell, why keep all the damn potion and charm books under your bed after five years? But anyhow, when looking through the box, I found this incredibly old book written by Timothy Prince. On the inside cover was this huge family tree of all the Princes, including myself. I didn't bother to see exactly how I was related, but he was a good four or five generations before me. "A guide for every Prince" was written above the tree. This book, I thought, should never go someplace like under a bed. So, since Mum wasn't going to be shoveling under her bed anytime soon, I decided to take it to my own room. As I read through the beginning, I found that I come from a long line of outcasts. "The Prince men" it reads, "are all known to be the pariahs of the wizarding world. The Prince women are often foolish girls, but the few good ones are the quiet, intelligent type." I skipped through those long pointless pages until I came to a chapter titled "Inventions of the Prince Family". In this chapter several members of my family wrote down different potions, contraptions, and spells they have created. I couldn't help but write in the Sectumsempra curse I made. Afterwards, I began to read through each and every thing that the Princes had created. And when I came to the inventor before me, I couldn't help but stare. There, in that familiar script, the words "Eileen Prince" were written. I scanned down to her invention. "Fabu Verbus: A Pensieve through parchment. It's quite simple, really. Touch the tip of your wand to your head and think of a certain memory while saying the words. Your thoughts will spill onto paper in the form of words. On further study, I realized that if you say the words aloud, the memory will "come back to life" on the parchment until the memory is done. The spell strengthens with age, so I suppose one day the viewer will actually be able to live the moment. Nothing dark about this spell as far as I can see." _

_So I've decided, Diary, that I shall use my mother's spell for any entries I truly don't want to write. Something tells me I will be using this spell quite often. _

"Sectumsempra," Draco said with noticeable disgust in his voice. "So that's who made that Godforsaken curse," he sneered. Ginny gave him a quizzical expression.

"What's it do?" she asked, nudging closer to him to get a better look at the diary.

"Slashes every inch of your body until you've been drained of all blood." A chill went down his spine, and his clutch around Ginny's waist tightened with anger. She winced at the unexpected pain. Draco falsely translated the expression as a reaction to his description. "You wouldn't _believe _the less-than-lovely things your beloved Potter has done to me," he continued with a snarl. His grip grew tighter. "It was sixth year. I'm sure you remember it. Your beau's probably told you he accidentally gave me little cut in the bathroom. _A little cut_." Ginny could feel his nails digging into her flesh.

"Draco—"

"I didn't even do anything to him."

"Draco, you're—"

"The bastard."

"Draco!" The sudden increase of volume caused his head to whip towards the woman who sat next to him.

"_What?_" he growled, irritated that she forced him to stop his rant.

"You're hurting me." It wasn't until that moment when he noticed his grip. He loosened his hand on her until it was only resting on the curve of her waist. Draco shrugged and continued to read.

_July 30th_

_And now I wonder, "Why didn't I think of this sooner?" To get to the witch you must get to the one closest to her. But who?_

"It's alright. But I appreciate your apology, Draco," Ginny said sarcastically.

_August 2nd_

_I have two words for you: Petunia Evans. _

"I don't apologize," he said curtly with a smirk. "I'm not Potter."

"I know but—"

"You're not dealing with the hero anymore, Gin." He looked directly into her curious blue eyes. "Remember who I am, Ginevra." Draco cupped her face in his hands. "I don't save people and I don't have a heart of gold. I'm—"_ here to use you as bait for Potter. _"—not a good person. He then kissed her deeply; not out of lust, but as a way to remember the way they once were, for he knew she was going to hate him in the near future.

_You have one month, Draco. Lure the girl here by whatever means necessary and Potter will come running after like a fish on a hook. _

"Not a good person at all," he said quietly, more to himself than to the woman at his side. Ginny, who knew Draco would never have such unexpected bursts of affection, asked,

"Something wrong?" He blinked and looked at her.

"No," he lied. "Shall we continue?" he asked, gesturing towards the pages of the Prince's diary. She nodded and flipped over to the next page, which was strangely written in bright gold ink.

"Fabu Verbus?" Ginny guessed, noticing the strange switch of color. Draco shrugged and read aloud.

"_August 3rd_

_Today I decided to put my previous idea to the test._"

Ginny quickly found the answer to her question. The moment he began to read, Ginny found herself being sucked into the very page. Every inch of her body, beginning with her freckled nose and ending with the tips of her bare feet, was vacuumed into the Prince's story. She had no time to shout in protest, let alone move; it happened so fast. At one moment she was sitting by Draco in the comfort of her own home, the next she lay in the lush grass of a muggle town. Perfect, identical suburban houses sat in a perfect row on either side of the lonely street. Apparently, this cookie-cutter world of pretty yards and white fences was completely alien to the blond beside her.

"Where _are _we?" Draco asked with a hint of disgust. He soon found his answer, for a cold, low voice spoke from behind them.

"She _will _love me." The two whirled their heads around to find a third person lying on his back in the grass. The boy seemed to be in his late teens, with greasy raven hair and skin so pallid that it seemed almost luminescent in the August sun. He was, in his own way, mildly attractive.

Ginny gasped dramatically at the sight of him.

"The Prince is—" she began.

"Severus!" a woman screeched from inside the house. The boy bolted upright and turned his head in the direction of the voice. A woman in her early forties craned her long neck out of one of the windows. She was a plain-looking witch, with dark hair and black, piercing eyes like the boy. Her mouth was set in a sharp line and her face was stern. "I'm going off to work now. I've just cleaned the house, so don't go around wreaking havoc around this place. I'm expecting your father to be coming home soon, and I don't want him to see a messy place." With that, she shut the window with a slam and went to what Ginny guessed would be the family room, so she could go to work by Floo powder.

"Won't you ever learn, Mother?" the boy named Severus murmured angrily. "He's not coming back. Can't you just admit that you've fallen for a complete arse and get on with your life?" He shook his head as if taking away his thoughts. "Focus, Sev. How do you get to Lily through that muggle sister?"

As if by magic, a muggle girl Severus' age came out of the house next to his. She was a lanky horse-faced blonde with a noticeably awkward body which had curves in all the wrong places. Ginny felt sorry for the poor girl; Draco laughed at her unattractiveness. The redhead jabbed him in the rib to shut him up as the act played out.

"Morning, Petunia!" Severus greeted her as she opened her particularly thick book that she had been reading. The girl named Petunia simply stared at him, completely shocked that someone of the opposite gender was speaking to her. Severus smirked and pulled out his wand. One moment, he stood in front of Ginny and Draco, the next he had apparated only a few inches away from the girl. The two onlookers were quick to do the same and continued to watch Severus from Petunia's front yard.

"Oh!" she gasped, stumbling backwards. "You're a—"

"Wizard," he finished. She nodded, still surprised that someone of the opposite sex had even acknowledged her presence. Suddenly the strange, greasy boy from next door became a little more attractive in her eyes.

"S-s-so how is your holiday going?" she asked, desperate to start conversation with the mysterious Snape child. Severus chuckled at Petunia's nervousness.

"Actually it's coming along quite well. But I'm having a bit of trouble with my Potions homework. We learn it at Hogwarts," he added after seeing the girl's puzzled expression. "So I was wondering if your sister was here to help me. She's very good in that subject." Petunia's face fell.

"You came here to see Lily?" she asked miserably. Snape nodded. "She's not here," she said stiffly. Severus knew the girl was lying. He had been outside all day and would have noticed if she had left the house.

"Well," he said, still trying to be polite, "we might as well chat while we wait for her arrival."

"Yes! Let's!" Petunia nearly shouted.

"How pitiful," Draco said through a long, spine-chilling laugh.

"Stop it," Ginny said sternly. "The poor girl's probably never been noticed before." She reached out to touch Petunia's bony shoulder, but her hand went straight through the teen's body as if she were a ghost.

"—and my dad has this new drilling business. He just hired this pudgy boy who's actually a bit good. Oh, what's his name? Vincent, or something along those lines—" Petunia continued to drone on.

"I can see why," Draco chuckled. "Just look at the state of her. The only man to ever talk to her hideous face is probably her dad." Draco released another cruel, boisterous laugh. "Who does she think she's fooling? She knows Snape doesn't like her. How could she not realize that it's her sister he's after. Hell, even the stupidest muggle could recognize that he's using her to get to Lily."

"She's not stupid. She's just a romantic," Ginny reasoned, thinking back to her Hogwarts years when she'd spend hours daydreaming about being Mrs. Harry Potter. _Funny how things have changed_, she thought to herself.

_Harry still loves you, Gin. You can't toy with his heart. _Another voice inside her mind. _Don't act like you've never been hurt, Ginny. Remember his obsession with Chang and Fleur? Remember crying every night for months? Don't do that to him. Don't send him through the hell he's put you through. _

"I really would love to continue this conversation, Petunia, but I'm afraid that it's getting quite late," Severus interrupted both Petunia's voice and Ginny's thoughts.

"But it's only been an hour!" The blonde girl nearly screeched. "You can't leave now." Severus attempted a sweet smile (though to Ginny it appeared slightly creepy) and spoke softly to the severely unattractive girl.

"Don't worry. I'll be back for you tomorrow." He then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Petunia's face turned a deep shade of scarlet as the Snape child apparated away along with both Draco and Ginny.

In the blink of an eye, the two were back in the small apartment, the diary still lying innocently in Draco's lap. For a moment, Draco thought they were still in Snape's memory, for he could have sworn he smelled eggs and toast.

"Breakfast, anyone?" a dreamy voice asked in the background. Both Ginny and Draco whirled their heads around.

"Lovegood?" he exclaimed with clear confusion. "What are you doing up so early?" Luna cocked her head to the side, wand in hand still guiding a bit of egg into a floating frying pan.

"It's eight-seventeen. You two just woke up." Draco's eyes widened.

"Shit!" he swore. "I need to get back home." With that, he leapt off the couch, nearly knocking Ginny over, and flew out the door. Luna looked down at the table where three plates were waiting to be eaten.

"How rude," she said distantly, dividing the contents of the third plate between the first two. Luna then looked up at her friend. "Had a pleasant sleep?" Ginny took a seat at the breakfast table and looked directly into the other woman's bright eyes.

"What would you do," the redhead said slowly, "if I told you that we weren't sleeping and that we were actually going back into the memories of one of Harry's greatest enemies?" Luna held Ginny's gaze for a few seconds before cracking two more eggs into the frying pan.

"I'd say we're going to need a bit more breakfast, because this seems like quite a story."


	10. Family Affair

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Whoo! Another chapter finished. I can't exactly say that I'll be updating soon, but enjoy anyway. R&R please. Thanks!

Chapter 10

Callista, Pansy concluded as she lay in bed, was the strangest woman she'd ever met. The newest Death Eater was gorgeous; there was no doubt about that.

"But why don't you ever use beauty to your advantage?" she had asked Callista once. "Does it matter to you that you could have every man in this house wrapped around your finger by now?" The other woman had smiled ever-so-slightly, displaying a sliver of pearly white teeth.

"Beauty is never an advantage. And besides, why would I want to be loved by the likes of these men? I already have Bellatrix."

It was true. Bellatrix Lestrange positively adored Callista for reasons unknown to Pansy. At every meeting, Callista seemed to receive more kindness than any of the other Death Eaters. Several times she had said things that would have been responded with a long, torturous Cruciatus curse if it passed the lips of any other witch or wizard.

It simply didn't make sense to Pansy. How was it possible for a woman to go from sleeping in chains on the floor to being given the largest room to sleep in (aside from Bellatrix, who slept in the master bedroom)? Even Draco was given less attention, as he was forced to share the same room as Callisto's half-brother.

_Everard. _

Pansy sat upright as his name resounded in her head. Everard terrified her just as much as his father did. Both men were thoroughly disturbing; from their sick curling smiles to their lecherous stares that even made the whores they slept with feel stripped and vulnerable. The only thing that Everard had that his father didn't was those blue eyes. He had the sort of eyes that belonged to a porcelain doll, not a disgusting thing born from an anonymous woman and a worthless man. Pansy had ventured to look into those eyes on many occasions, only to find him looking back at her with a less-than-pure expression. He wanted her, she knew that much. Not once did he give Bulstrode the slightest bit of attention, whereas Pansy received every uncomfortable stare, smirk, and wink he could possibly give someone.

Pansy would have been lying if she said she rarely thought of him. It was shameful, but completely true. Draco was away so often that she sometimes forgot that she had a boyfriend. It was only recently when she decided she would act single when Draco wasn't around. Tight red dresses under loose cloaks became the norm for her once he was gone.

_If Draco can mess around with that Weasley brat_, she thought to herself as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, _then it's best that I have a bit of fun with Everard. _She then proceeded to dress herself the shortest black dress her beau had bought her. _Let Draco screw around. He'll come back when he sees that his girlfriend is doing just fine without him. _She stomped across the room and opened the door.

"Oh!" At the door stood a rugged young man with an expression filled with randiness.

"Nice dress," Everard said, his eyes glued to her body.

"Th-thank you. I wasn't expecting you." He smirked.

"You got a package," he said. Only then did Pansy notice the small cardboard box which he held in two strong, rough hands. Pansy held back a shudder as she wondered where those hands may have been.

_Along the bodies of whores and wrapped around the necks of enemies_, she guessed.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" His smirk widened. "Or shall I come in?" Pansy snatched the box from his hands, deliberately scratching him as she did so.

_That's _not_ the way to a woman's heart_, she mentally scolded him. She balanced the package between her hand and hip, using her free hand to reach for the door and slam it in his face. _Wait! _a voice screamed inside her head. _You don't want him in your heart, do you? You _do_, however, want Draco jealous. _

Pansy then smiled in a way that told Everard he was welcome to more than just her room. Her hand changed direction, causing her to grab his wrist instead of the door. She tossed the package onto her desk. Everard, who was deprived of the pleasures he often received by witches he found on the street, stepped inside her room and was already closing the door.

"Don't," Pansy demanded. Everard cracked the door open a bit as he worked on undoing her dress.

"So damn tight," he murmured in frustration before attempting to blow the outfit apart with his wand. Pansy gasped and pushed his wand down.

"There's a zipper, you know," she snapped, gesturing to the back of her dress.

"Fuck the zipper," he sneered, and with a loud ripping noise he tore the dress off her. With a satisfactory smile, he proceeded to snatch off her underclothes. Within moments, she stood naked before his thirsty gaze. Pansy now knew how his whores felt. "Oh yes," he said, licking his lips, "you'll be fun." He then dropped his trousers and threw her almost violently onto the bed.

She hated his touch; his thin cracked lips were like sandpaper, his fingers like insects crawling about her body. Pansy looked up into his wicked, grinning face with sudden terror. _This isn't sex_, she told herself as she blinked back tears, _this is rape with my consent. _

Fortunately, Pansy eventually got what she'd wanted. It had been nearly ten minutes into their session, when the cracked door flew open, revealing a shocked blond man with wide grey eyes.

"What the _hell_?!"

--

Severus and Narcissa jumped at the sudden noise. Narcissa, still in the other man's arms, wiped her eyes and yawned.

"What the hell?!" the voice that had woken them up repeated.

_I know that voice_, Narcissa thought to herself. Suddenly an arm grabbed her roughly by the wrist and dragged her off the bed and onto the floor, where she sat, oblivious to what was occurring around her.

"Cissy, what were you doing?" It was growing more and more furious with every syllable.

_Bellatrix. _

The blonde woman stood upright immediately.

"Bella, I can explain." The other woman, however, was no longer paying attention to Narcissa.

Bellatrix hovered menacingly over Severus, wand drawn, a criminally insane look clouding her dark eyes.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" she roared. The entire house seemed to shake with her fury. Callista ran inside Snape's bedroom to see what the matter was.

"Oh my God," she gasped once she caught sight of what was happening.

"I'LL KILL YOU, SEVERUS SNAPE!" Bellatrix continued to scream like the madwoman she was. "The Cruciatus curse won't even do," she hissed. "I'll do it myself, Snape. I'LL DRAIN YOU OF EVERY BIT OF THAT WORTHLESS FILTH YOU CALL BLOOD IN THAT PALE, SCRAWNY BODY!"

Within moments the rest of the occupants of the Malfoy Mansion came into the bedroom. First came Theodore Nott with Blaise and Goyle not far behind. Next was the hideous Bulstrode girl blundering in. Finally newfound enemies Everard and Draco tore into the room with Pansy, clad in a loose robe clumsily wrapped around her, at their sides.

"Bella, it's not what you think, I _swear_," Narcissa said, tears flooding down her cheeks. Bellatrix's eyes, ablaze with hatred, stared at her sister.

"I find you curled up against that shirtless slimeball, your nightgown scrunched at your thighs, the very nightgown that _Lucius bought for you_, and you don't think I know what's going _on_? You little _slut_!"

Draco's mouth fell open. With the little courage he had against his aunt, he stepped forward.

"Don't speak to my mother like that!" he shouted, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.

With a roar of anger, Bellatrix grabbed the man harshly by the throat and shoved him against the nearest wall, slapping him across the mouth as she did so.

"_You don't even know who your mother _is!" she hissed.

"You've gone mad, aunt Bella," Draco said in a choked cry. The woman clenched her teeth and threw him roughly to the floor. Draco tasted blood inside his now swollen mouth.

"Lest you wish for death, Draco dear, I suggest you step back beside your brother," she sneered. Narcissa's eyes widened.

"Bella, _no_."

"_Yes_," she replied. She pointed her wand at her younger sister, who was quickly wrapped in the snakelike cords which shot out of the wand.

"Brother?" Draco said slowly, as if he had never heard the word before. Narcissa shouted something that was muffled behind the cords. Bellatrix pulled her nephew to her feet and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Draco, dear, it's time that you learned a bit about your mother," she said in a surprisingly composed voice. She looked up at the rest of the onlookers. "It's time we _all _learn a bit about Narcissa Malfoy." The blonde wept uncontrollably behind her bindings. "Cissy has grown to be quite the pitiful thing, hasn't she? Ever since she met Lucius in Hogwarts, she hasn't been able to survive without a man." She now looked directly into Draco's pale grey eyes. "Did you know that your father left her only a month after they were married?"

"_What?_"

"Oh yes, she was just _so _distraught. That was just about the time when Augustus Rookwood started paying her weekly visits, hoping he'd be able to sleep with Lucius' pretty blonde doll. And of course, since Narcissa was in need of a man's warmth, she gave him all of her. Nine months later, Everard came along."

"_No_."

"Yes." Narcissa's cries grew louder with every passing second. "And of course, Lucius decided to come back when little Evie was just two. She begged me to take the baby before her husband discovered it, so as much as I hated to do it, I sent the boy back to his good-for-nothing father. And with a little persuasion—" Bellatrix's mouth twitched into a twisted smile "—I convinced Rookwood to make an Unbreakable Vow to take care of his boy as well as he could until he turned seventeen. And now that Lucius is dead, she's resorted to Snivellus." She shook her head. "Pathetic," she murmured.

"Good Lord," Everard gasped, his hatred for Draco dying down. "And all this time I thought my mother would be a whore of some sort."

"Well, she is," Bellatrix said lazily, gesturing toward the woman who was red as a beet from sobbing and humiliation.

"And Calli?" Everard asked. "What happened to her mother?" his aunt smirked.

"Callista's story isn't nearly as romantic as my dear sister's. I simply wanted an heir to teach everything I know. Rodolphus wasn't doing the trick, so I had another man impregnate me. Unfortunately, I was cursed with a girl. Seeing that my other sisters were pathetic things, I'd already had my notion on women. So with the same persuasion, I had Rookwood take care of my girl as well." For the first time that day, Bellatrix beamed. "And she's everything I could dream of. Just like me when I was her age."

"Looks like you as well," Severus ventured to say. Bellatrix glared down at him.

"Be grateful I'm in a good mood, Severus. The Dark Lord would not have spared you." In a lower voice she spoke once more, "And if I catch you with my sister again, I _won't _spare you. Do I make that clear, Severus?"

"Yes, Mistress."

--

"And that's how it happened."

Silence.

"Luna?" The blonde woman continued to look at her roommate across the table with the most curious expression on her face. Eventually, Luna Lovegood began to speak.

"Do you still love Harry?" Ginny loved how her friend's questions, no matter how prying, were never accusatory. It was such a breath of fresh air for her.

"I think so," she replied truthfully.

"And Draco Malfoy?"

"No."

"What about Snape?" Ginny spat the tea she was drinking back into its cup as she laughed, despite the perfectly serious look on Luna's face.

"Where did you get _that _idea from?" Ginny asked through a fit of giggles.

"You did say he was attractive as a teen." The other girl laughed for nearly a minute before she could answer her friend.

"I said he was attractive in his own way. As in his own skinny-pale-gawky teenager way." Luna shrugged.

"You _do _have a way of falling for Harry's enemies."

"I can't help it," Ginny said with a smirk. "Besides, it's not like he's serving You-Know-Who."

"I thought the Death Eaters were back. Didn't you tell me he mentioned that a while back?" Ginny nodded.

"But he hasn't joined them."

"Really? I just assumed he was with them since his aunt was the Dark Lord's favorite." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Don't be silly. He's not like that." Luna shrugged again and quickly changed the subject, knowing that someone would get hurt if they continued this conversation.

"So do you want to try reading the diary a little more?" Ginny paused, hoping that her next diary session would be with Draco. Deciding against her emotions, she sat on the sofa where the book lay and gestured for Luna to join her. Luna slowly stood and strode over to the pages of diary. "Grab my arm." Luna obeyed and watched her friend begin to read. "_August 4__th__. Today I became caught in one of the worst arguments in my life._"

Now that Ginny knew the result of reading aloud, the feeling of being sucked through the page didn't bother her nearly as much. The only new installation was the soft gasp as Luna was being dragged in as well.

Yet again, Ginny fell into an unfamiliar place. She was in a small, poorly-furnished family room with patched furniture and what seemed to be a broken muggle television. Papers were found everywhere; torn envelopes were scattered on a particularly ugly sofa, bills were stuffed in a disorderly fashion in a far corner, and random pieces of parchment were everywhere on the rotting wooden floor.

"Look," Luna said quietly, pointing at Snape-the-teenager and his mother.

"Don't you _ever_," Eileen Snape screeched, "say that about your father! He's a good man, Severus, a very good man." Her son looked at his mother, disbelief etched on his angry face.

"A good man? _A good man? _If Tobias Snape was a good man, he would have stayed by your side when we were dirt poor!" Eileen slapped him sharply with the back of her hand. Severus winced and continued his rant. "We needed him, Mum. _I _needed him. You don't think that I didn't cry when he left, too? You don't think I missed him? You don't think I sat up _every night wanting him back_?" Eileen Snape burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. Her son grabbed her wrists harshly and pulled them away, exposing her red, teary face. He then spoke in a voice so soft that all three women in the room had to strain to hear. "The difference between me and you, Eileen, is that I see my father for what he is: a coward." Severus Snape then let go of his mother and stormed out of the house, Ginny and Luna not far behind him.

Once outside, Severus pulled out his wand. Breathing hard, he hissed,

"Justice _will _be served." Suddenly Luna and Ginny felt the familiar sensation of being sucked through a thin rubber tube.

_Apparition_, Ginny thought to herself as the three of them came to a stop.

They now stood in a rather rough muggle pub. Chairs, tables, and glasses lay overturned and broken, as well as the minds of many of the men that dwelled there. Three bare light bulbs dimly lit the place. Music crackled in through an old stereo while loose women danced with the desperate men who wanted them. The place sent a chill up Ginny's spine; Luna simply swayed gently to the music.

A man with a long hooked nose and greasy chestnut hair stood in a corner with his long bony fingers wrapped tightly around the hips of a drunken woman. A cigarette was placed limply at the corner of his smirking mouth as he watched the woman drink her heart out.

"A bit more brandy for the lady," he said to the bartender. He nodded and passed him a glass full of the brown liquid.

"Should I call a taxi for her?" he asked the hook-nosed man.

"Hell no. I'm taking this one home," he said with a wink. The woman missed her mouth and the drink went pouring down her shirt. The hook-nosed man's smirk widened as he watched her soaked blouse. The woman looked up at him and giggled.

"The shirt's gone down my drink," she hiccupped.

Severus, who was silent the whole time, strode up to the man.

"Tobias," he said smoothly. Apparently, the man named Tobias was not at all happy to see Severus at all.

"Piss off," he sneered at the boy. Severus, however, refused to lose his composure.

"May I speak to you alone?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time? This isn't a place for freaks like you. Now go off and do some magic tricks, will you?" For a moment, Severus seemed thoughtful.

"Freaks like me, huh? Freaks like _me_."

"You're cute," the woman giggled. "Wanna dance?" Tobias smiled.

"Of course he does, luv. Go dance with Sev." He let go of her hips and she immediately collapsed onto the floor. Tobias groaned.

"You can't run away from freaks like me forever, Dad. So do you care to join me for a quick chat?" The boy's father groaned again and followed him into a dingy bathroom. Ginny and Luna were quick to tag along. "Get _out_!" Severus roared at the bathroom's two occupants. The startled men jumped at the tremendous sound coming from such a skinny boy and rushed out. With his wand, the wizard sealed the door shut.

"What do you want?" Tobias said gruffly. His son ignored his question and spoke in a dark, dangerous voice.

"What sort of sick, worthless thing leaves his wife and only son alone when they need him most?" Tobias crossed his arms.

"Now this just isn't fair. Don't you understand that I needed a life of my own?"

"A life of your own?" Severus repeated incredulously. "_A life of your own?_ The thing about fatherhood, _Daddy dearest_, is that you are no longer permitted to be selfish. Your life _is _your child's life. You—"

"And what makes you think that you know anything about being a father?" Tobias snapped.

"A hell of a lot more than you do, _Tobias_." A long silence fell between them.

"Don't you speak to me like that," the man hissed. "I am you father." Severus' eyes nearly turned to flames in his sockets.

"You are _not_ my father!" he bellowed. "_You slapped around my mum all through my childhood and left us! _You are not and never _will _be my father! _You _are just some sick fuck who got my mother knocked up! AND I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL FOR WHAT YOU DID TO US!"

_Crack! _

Ginny, Luna, and Tobias all watched as the boy crumpled to the floor, holding his bleeding face. Severus howled as Tobias proceeded to kick him continuously until he spat up blood.

"Oh, now look what you made me do," the father shouted over his son's screams. Tobias then smiled wickedly and spoke in a mock-accusatory voice. "You made me break my baby boy's nose. Ooh, what a shame." Laughing, he kneeled in his son's blood and pulled the boy by his hair up to his eye level. "But to tell you the truth, I really don't give a—"

"Avada Kedavra!"

The last thing Ginny heard was her own shocked scream before she was hurtled back to her apartment.

Ginny sat shaking uncontrollably in her sofa.

"H-h-he killed his _father_." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "_Oh God_." She looked up at her roommate, who looked surprisingly solemn and thoughtful.

"Wow," Luna whispered.

"I have to tell Draco." Ginny took a deep sigh. "_Oh God._" Luna waited a few moments before speaking again.

"If you don't mind," she said quietly, "I'd like to know what happens next." Ginny's eyes widened as she stared up at the blonde.

"What?"

"I said I want to go back into the diary. It's all in the past, so it can't hurt us."

"Luna, you just watched a man die!"

"No need to shout," the other woman said coolly.

"You're right," Ginny admitted after a few moments. "But even so, you saw a boy kill his own father. How can't you have any reaction to that?"

"I'm an Auror. I've seen far worse." Ginny was suddenly grateful for not passing her Auror exams.

_I would have been a complete head case had I made it_.

"So," Luna continued, "how about we take a further look?" Ginny gave the pile of papers in her lap a weary stare, and began to read.

"_August 10__th__, Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing to the Evans sisters' relationship._

Yet again, the roommates found themselves in the Snape family room. Severus laid across the sofa reading a thick novel titled _Through the Eyes of a Muggle Assassin _while his mother, clad in pale robes, adjusted the nurse's cap atop her head.

"Sev, have you seen my stockings?" she asked as she searched under the broken television. Severus refused to look at her and continued to read. Eileen sighed and drew her wand. "Accio stockings," she murmured. Two white stockings came flying into her free hand. As she pulled them over her legs, she addressed her son. "You'll have to talk to me sometime, Severus." The boy stared intently at the book. The woman strode over to the couch and hovered over him. "Now give your mother a kiss before she goes to work." The expression on her son's face was that of immense disgust. Her lipstick-shaded mouth puckered up as she bent down further. Severus placed the book directly in front of his face, blocking her from sight. She then stood up and put a hand on her hip. "I don't get it," she said, sounding hurt. "You won't kiss your own mother, but you certainly don't mind locking lips with that muggle girl from next door." The book fell from his hands to reveal a horrified Snape.

"_What?_" His mother smiled.

"She really does seem like a sweet girl. Oh, what's her name? Rose? Peony? Eucalyptus?"

"I never kissed her!" Her smile widened to the point where she vaguely resembled a clown.

"So what do you call what you did the other day?"

"Pardon?"

"I came home early and saw you two on her front porch. She just looked so _elated _to be with you." She sat down next to him and reached to pinch his cheek. He swatted her hand away. "My little debonair." Severus frowned.

"Don't you have a job to go to?" he said darkly. His mother rolled her eyes and stood.

"Fine, I'm going." She shook a finger at him. "But don't think I won't remember this when I come back. I want to meet your little girlfriend, Sev." Before the boy could mutter back an quick retort, his mother was gone with a distand popping sound.

"I _don't _care for her," he said to no one in particular. "Silly horse-faced girl."

Roughly thirty seconds passed before a loud rapping came to the door, startling all three inhabitants of the room. "What the hell?" he murmured as he rolled off the sofa and strode to the door. The boy hadn't even reached its knob before the door flew open on its own, slapping him in the face in the process. Severus groaned as he held his abnormally long nose in his hands.

At the door, wand drawn, stood an attractive girl with furious blazing green eyes.

Upon realizing who stood only inches before him, Severus quickly drew his hands away from his face and crossed his arms in an attempt to look as nonchalant as possible.

"Evans," he said as coolly as possible despite the fact that his nose now sported a rather large welt at the ridge. "What brings you here?"

"I don't want you around my sister anymore," she hissed in a deadly voice. Severus laughed.

"Are you jealous, Evans?" The other teen's face burned with anger. She pushed the boy aside and made her way into the house, nudging the door closed with her heel. "Yes, you may come in. Thanks for asking."

"I don't appreciate you shoving your tongue down Petunia's mouth on my front porch." Severus made himself comfortable on the sofa he originally had been laying on while the green-eyed girl stood.

"It's no different than what you and Potty do back at Hogwarts." The girl blushed.

"His name is James, you know."

"Get to the point, Evans," he said impatiently, though deep inside he knew he had all the time in the world for her.

"The point is that I know you're going through her to get to me."

"Oh?"

"I'm not stupid, Severus. A month ago you came to my door saying how much you loved me, and now you're all over my sister. It's not going to work, so just come off it." Severus smirked.

"If it's not working, then why are you showing up at house and suddenly calling me by my first name?" She flushed and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I believe it's working just fine, Lily dear." Her face grew to such a shade of red that it was difficult to decipher where her skin ended and her scarlet hairline began.

"If it's working so well, then why do I still hate you so much?" Severus put a hand to his heart and twisted his face into a mock-hurt expression.

"Ooh, hate is such a strong word, Lily."

"But it's an appropriate one." For a moment an expression of true pain flitted across the boy's face.

"And why is that?" he asked. "Why do you hate me while I so obviously care for you?"

Lily honestly didn't know. It had simply been instinct to dislike the boy who fraternized with all the darker, dangerous students of Hogwarts. She was the loved one in school, the ravishing and mysterious muggle-born with a heart of gold. Severus, on the other hand, was the estranged, quiet boy with the too-greasy hair who seemed to bee almost dangerouslygood at potions and defense against the dark arts. He was shunned from others, and therefore Lily never gave him a passing glance.

"You don't even know, do you?" he said coolly. Lily cast her eyes down, too ashamed to look into his face. "Then let me take a stab at it. You don't like me because I'm the weird hook-nosed Severus Snape and you're perfect Lily Evans. And Perfect Lily Evans can't possibly have her sister fall for Hook-Nosed Severus Snape. That's simply uncalled for."

"That's not it," she said, eyes still on the floor.

"Of course it's not. Perfect Lily Evans isn't that shallow. She's far more complex than that. Perhaps it's because you feel that the wizarding world is something open to you and you alone when it comes to your muggle family. Your parents and Petunia couldn't possibly begin to understand. They should just go about their ordinary lives. And it was all working perfectly until your sister went and had a little crush on a wizard. Oh dear. A _wizard_. Wizards are open to only you, and she doesn't have the right to have something to do with a boy who shares _your _magical world. Forget the fact that you couldn't care less if he died. It still remains the same that he's a wizard, a wizard who needs to keep his distance from the Evans family." Lily continued to stare at her shoes, proving that at least some of what Severus had said was true. "It's not a matter of social status between you and me. It's all about your territory as being the only Evans who is permitted inside the wizarding world." The girl heaved a deep sigh and looked up at his smirking face.

"What do I need to do to get you away from Petunia?"

"What makes you think I would need a price to break your sister's heart?" Lily frowned.

"Because you're Severus." His smirk grew into a wicked smile.

"You're right."

"So what do you want from me?"

"Love me."

Those two words hung in the air like a deadly floating weapon. Lily's face twisted into a severely terrified expression, her green eyes wide with horror and her pink mouth shaped in an O of disgust.

"_What_?"

"Only for a day, Lily. One summer day that will be our little secret." The girl seemed vague case of nausea when hearing this.

"Fine," she murmured. "Just find a way to keep Petunia off of you." Severus rubbed his hands together.

"Perfect," he said in a voice as slimy as his hair. "This is going to be so lovely."

For the fourth time that day, Ginny found herself falling back into the reality of her small apartment, Luna Lovegood at her side. However, this was the first time she had heard a strange thumping sound when she came back to the present time. It didn't seem to come from the diary, which deeply confused the woman.

"Luna, do you hear that?" she asked her roommate, who didn't seem to be surprised in the least at the sudden noise. "It seems to be coming from somewhere inside the apartment." The redhead looked around wildly, as if expecting to se a random person banging pots and pans behind her. Luna smiled.

"I believe, Ginevra Weasley, that you are starting to scare me a bit." Ginny looked intently at the other woman.

"You mean you don't hear it?" Luna laughed this time.

"It's the door, Gin. Someone's at the door."

The redhead blushed at her stupidity and strode to the front door.

"What if it's a monster?" Ginny said in mock-terror as she turned the knob and opened the door.

A breathtakingly ravishing woman with long silvery-blonde hair and blue eyes ablaze with hatred stood at the door. She was breathing in short, hissing breaths which vaguely resembled a dragon.

"Fleur?" Ginny said, surprised at her sister-in-law's visit. "What brings you here."

"You _bitch_!" Fleur Weasley roared, pushing the shocked redhead back with amazing force. The attractive woman let herself in and slammed the door behind her. "'OW COULD YOU DO THEES TO ME?" She clutched a lock of Ginny's hair and lifted her up.

"Fleur, what the _hell_?" she shrieked in pain.

"You took my 'usband away from me! You made 'im stop loving me!" She threw Ginny to the floor.

"What? I never said anything to Bill since the funeral. I—"

"YOU MADE 'IM HATE ME!" The woman's face puffed up with anger for the younger witch.

"What are you talking about? Fleur, calm down."

"You will pay, Ginny Weezly."

"If you just told me what you were talking about—"

"'_E ees divorcing me!_" she shrieked. Ginny's eyes grew wide.

"What? But why?"

"For Neemfahdora Tonks! You drove 'im away from me." Fleur seemed nearly insane now. "I keel you!" Ginny's mouth dropped.

"Fleur, you don't mean that." The part-veela drew her wand. Ginny gasped. "You're insane! Listen to me, you need hel—"

"Avada Kedavra!"


	11. Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Wow…it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry : buuuuut….at least I'll be able to update much more since I don't have school in the way! My plan is to finish this fic before the seventh book comes out. So yup, this is my next chapter. Enjoy and don't forget to R&R. Thanks!!!

Chapter 11

"_Harry?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_Can you sill feel your legs?"_

"_Mmhmm."_

_Ginny couldn't remember how they'd gotten in this position. Twenty minutes ago she was having a food fight with him in the middle of her kitchen. Now they both lay exhausted on her couch covered in cookie ingredients, Harry on his back and his girlfriend lying on top of him on her stomach. _

"_Ginny?" _

"_Mmm?"_

"_You have egg in your hair." Ginny smiled, remembering the egg he had squashed into her hair while she tried to push him away with a wooden spoon. _

"_Harry?"_

"_Mmm?" _

"_You have a chocolate chip above your left eye." It was Harry's turn to smile._

"_Care to fix that for me?"_

"_Gladly." Ginny leaned forward and ate the bit of chocolate off of his face, laughing the whole time. _

"_How was it?"_

"_Lovely."_

"_Really?" _

"_Yes. It was just _so_ lovely." _

This was the single memory that flitted across Ginny's mind as she felt a force thrust her to the floor. A glass vase shattered in the background.

"Oh mon Dieu," Fleur whispered, dropping her wand.

"Ginny!" The redhead found herself staring up at two wide blue eyes. "Ginny, are you alright?" Something about her eyes startled Ginny. Even the blonde's voice seemed strangely un-calm. For the first time, Luna's voice revealed nothing more than raw panic. "Say something, _anything_." For a few moments Ginny merely looked into the terrified eyes of Luna Lovegood before eventually speaking.

"You saved my life." Luna heaved a great sigh of relief and stood, helping Ginny to her feet afterwards.

Fleur Delacour whimpered in a nearby corner.

"I almost keeled 'er," she said in a shaking whisper. "Ce n'est pas vrai." Slowly Ginny inched toward the French woman.

"Fleur?" she said quietly, kneeling before her. The stunning blonde looked up at her. There was a strange emptiness in the woman's eyes.

"I just tried to keel my 'usband's seester. Maybe I am crazy." She began to cry silently. "Why do you do zis, Ginny? Why do you turn my 'usband against me?" Ginny frowned.

"That never happened. I never turned Bill against you." Fleur scowled at her sister-in-law.

"Liar," she hissed. Ginny sighed.

"Talk to me, Fleur. Tell me what happened." The other woman pointed to someone over Ginny's shoulder. The redheaded woman turned around to find Luna standing nearby.

"I want 'er out," she snapped. Luna seemed vaguely surprised.

"Pardon?"

"GET OUT!" Fleur shrieked, causing Luna to jump.

"You're rather rude, Mrs. Weasley," she said in a surprisingly unruffled voice as she strode out the door, closing it quietly behind her. Ginny scowled at the young French woman and quickly snatched up both of their wands.

"You can't just do that to people," she hissed at Fleur. The older woman flipped her hair and looked the other way.

"I can do anyzing I want."

_Except keep a husband_, Ginny thought bitterly.

"What do you want?" she said instead. Now Fleur looked directly into her pale blue eyes.

"Deed I not make it clear enough? You turned my—"

"Oh, for God's sake, Fleur! How could I have possibly done that to you?"

"_You _are ze one in ze family who never liked me!"

_No one in our family likes you._

"And we both know zat you are clozer to Bill zan anyone else." Ginny suppressed a smirk.

_I beg to differ. Tonks is _much _closer to Bill than anyone else._

"So who could 'ave convinced Bill to leeve me?"

"I don't know, Fleur. Who could have convinced Bill to leave you?" she said in a mockingly smooth voice. The French woman stood to her full height, as if this would intimidate her sister-in-law. Her face grew a dangerous shade of purplish red, and Ginny could have sworn that Fleur's facial features began to slightly resemble that of a bird.

"I _'ate _you!" Her face was now a solid purple. "Why do you do zis to me? Ees eet because I am beautiful? More beautiful zan you? You are just jealous zat I am beautiful and blonde and curvaceous and better zan you at everyzing!" Ginny took a deep breath.

_Be nice. Must be nice._

"You are a beetch! A jealous, ugly beetch!"

_She's your sister-in-law. _

"I was a wonderful wife!"

_Don't say anything. You'll regret it. _

"A better wife zan Neemfahdora will ever be!"

_She's a child. And she's having a tantrum. Let her have her tantrum. _

"I am ze best wife for 'im and 'e knows eet."

_Keep your mouth shut. Just keep your mouth shut. _

"I am perfect. _I am perfect_!"

"If you're so damn perfect, then why did he leave you? Did it even cross your mind, just for _one _second, that maybe, just _maybe, _you were the one who messed up? _You _were the one who destroyed the relationship. Fleur, just look at yourself! Who wants to marry a vain porcelain doll whose vocabulary consists of 'me', 'me', 'me', and 'You don't see beauty like _zis _every day'." Fleur looked as if she had been slapped in the face.

"I didn't do anyzing wrong," she hissed through clenched teeth. "It was zat Neemfahdora woman. She stole my 'usband away from me. And you, Ginevra, are ze one who whispered poison into my 'usband's ear. You made 'im 'ate me."

"I haven't spoken with him since Lupin's death."

"Liar." Fleur looked slightly insane now; her eyes held a hatred often seen only in maddened animals, and she appeared more bird-like than ever before. She released a sudden high-pitched shriek of fury. "Admit it, Ginevra! Admit zat you 'ate me!" Ginny, who still sat on the floor, nodded.

"I hate you," she said coolly.

"And zat you never wanted my marriage to work!"

"It's true. I didn't." Fleur's face continued to grow more and more purple until she seemed to be in danger of popping a vessel in her head.

"Tell me zat you wanted Neemfahdora to be with my 'usband."

"Actually, yes. I always had an idea that they'd end up together someday."

"Zen you did eet. You—"

"What the hell makes you think I'd do that? Seriously, Fleur. Why do you always think it's me?" Fleur's eyes had a bizarre glow to them now.

"Because 'e _told me_." Ginny's mouth fell open.

"_What_?" Fleur's lips curled into a triumphant grin.

"When I found 'im keesing zat beetch on my sofa, 'e told me zat you once said only a few days before my wedding zat eet was a pity zat Lupin found Neemfahdora before 'e did. You said 'e deserved 'er love and not mine. You told 'im zat I _couldn't _love. And now 'e seems to 'ave taken your sick advice." She spat on the apartment floor. "I 'ope you rot for what you did to me!" Ginny stood, having had enough of Fleur's childishness. Fleur's wand in hand, she extended her arm to the other woman.

"Take it and leave," the redhead said firmly. The other woman snatched the wood from her hand and dramatically swung open the door, only to find a man standing there, fist in midair, about to knock.

He was a reasonably handsome young man, with emerald green eyes and deeply masculine facial features. He wore robes of crimson red, which matched the bouquet of roses he held in his hand. Aside from his astonishingly untamable hair, he was a well-kept man. He stared up at Fleur; despite the fact that his height was that of an average man, the French woman still towered over him. She pointed a long dainty finger at him and looked directly into Ginny's eyes.

"You see zis man? 'E will not be 'ere forever. You will pay for what you did. Zis love between you two will end like _zat_." She snapped her fingers. "And you will be lost, just like me." And with a loud popping noise, she disappeared. The young man looked at Ginny with utter confusion.

"Erm…did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked, backing away from the doorway. "I could come back later. It looks like you had a really rough day. I'll leave you alone for a while." Ginny couldn't help but to smile.

_Harry, you're just too cute. _

She took the hand that wasn't carrying the bouquet and led him inside, closing the door with her foot.

"It's not true, you know," Ginny said as she put the broken vase back together with a flick of her wand. "I'll love you forever, Harry Potter." He smiled weakly, still a bit rattled by Fleur's statement.

"Oh! Uh, these are for you." Harry held out the bouquet of flowers in front of him. Ginny laughed and put them in the vase.

"It's been years since we first dated, and you're just as nervous as you were when you were sixteen." He hugged her around the waist.

"What's wrong with being sixteen again?"

Harry's question was never answered.

--

"Harry?"

"Mmm?"

"Can you feel your legs?"

"Mmhmm."

They always seemed to end up in this position: exhausted on the couch, Harry on his back with his girlfriend laying on top of him on her stomach. And it all started from one single question…

"Ginny?"

"Mmm?"

"Tell me that you love me." Ginny felt his grip on her back grow firmer. She gave him a warm smile.

"You know I love you."

"But I want you to tell me."

"I love you."

"Tell me you'll never leave me."

"What?"

"Please, just tell me."

"I…I'll never leave you." An image of Draco Malfoy floated in front of her eyes. She felt the sudden urge to cry.

"Now tell me you'll never hurt me."

_Oh, Harry. You're killing me. _

"I'll never hurt you."

_You're a bitch, Ginny. _

"And promise me you'll—" Ginny put a finger to his lips and gave him a fake smile. She couldn't take any more. The lump in the back of her throat was getting bigger.

"Harry James Potter, I love you and I will love only you for the rest of my life. I'll never leave you and I promise to never break your heart." It was then when she began to sob. She knew that there was no way she could ever keep her promise.

_I hate lying to him. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. _

"Thank you." He kissed the tears that streamed down her face, foolishly thinking she was overcome with love for him.

_I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so, so sorry. _

Harry's brilliant green eyes pierced into hers.

"Penny for your thoughts, Gin." She smiled weakly.

"It's just that, well, no one's ever loved me like you have." Harry grinned and kissed her.

"See, luv? I knew exactly what you were thinking. We're perfect for each other." Ginny's body began to tremble with grief.

_I can't take it. I love you Harry. I love you so much. But I wish I could tell you how I'm falling for someone else. _

"Ginny, you're shaking. Are you alright?" She hated herself for what she was about to say.

"I know this is going to sound so silly, but I'm afraid that someday _you'll_ stop loving _me_. I don't think I could live without you."

_Please, God, let him stop loving me. Let him hate me and forget everything good about me. Let him curse my name and fall in love with someone else and live happily ever after. _

"That _is _silly. I'll never stop." He held her hand tightly. "I promise." She cried even harder. Harry stroked her back gently as she rested her head on his chest. "Don't you ever worry about that," he whispered. "As long as you're here, I'm here with you."

_I'll never forgive myself for this_.

--

Sometime between that moment and six hours later, both of them had fallen asleep. Ginny was the first to awaken. She watched his peaceful, sleeping face. A lump formed in the back of her throat.

"I hate myself," she said, "for letting you love me." She moved a few locks of hair away from his eyes. "How do I tell you there's someone else?" Ginny toyed a bit more with his hair. "His name's Draco Malfoy. Don't you remember? He's the one whose father you put in jail and murdered a few years later in his cell. Remember, Harry? He tried to kill you. Yeah, that's him. Oh, and I'm kind of sleeping with him now. But don't get mad, Harry. I'll still love you."

"Of course you do," a voice drawled from above her. "That's why you're sleeping with his worst enemy."

Ginny nearly fell off the sofa when her eyes trailed from Harry's face to Draco's, which hovered over the couple. He was at most five inches away from them.

"Draco!" she cried in a frantic whisper. "What the hell are you doing here?" She quickly glanced down to make sure her beau was still asleep. He was. The other man raised an eyebrow and smoothed his platinum blond hair back.

"I came to read a bit more of Snape's diary. I thought I'd pay you another surprise visit, but this," he gestured to Harry, who still lay asleep under her, "_this _was definitely an unexpected bonus." He smirked at the situation he knew Ginny hated. "I have impeccable timing, no?"

"Get out, Draco," she said with as much hatred one could express while whispering. "And for God's sake, keep your voice down!"

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure? Keep him here. Let's read. Maybe we'll snog later." Ginny glowered at him.

"I hate you." He gave her another signature Malfoy smirk.

"That's what's so fun about these love-hate relationships. You don't even have to like me."

_That's the problem, Draco. I think I'm beginning to. _

"_Do _you dislike me?"

_Oh, God. He reads minds. _

"Draco, _keep your voice down_." It was obvious to him that she desperately wanted to change the subject. Unfortunately, he was a Malfoy, and it was in his blood to enjoy others' pain and discomfort. His smirk grew into a spine-chilling grin.

"So you're falling for me? Is that it?"

"Shut up, I hate you and you know that."

"Something tells me that you're lying." She avoided his eyes and looked down at Harry. That familiar urge to cry was overwhelming her.

"Shut up."

"You can't even look at me. That's just how much it hurts for you to admit it." Ginny blinked back tears.

"This is all just a game to you, isn't it?" she sneered. "It must be so _fun _to hurt people without feeling anything yourself."

_Shut up, Ginny. Shut the hell UP!_

Thought she wasn't looking at him, she knew that the blond man above him was giving her the most peculiar expression. Several moments passed before he finally spoke.

"Ginevra," he said in a firm, serious tone, "look at me." Ginny shook her mane of red hair like an insolent child. "I'm not kidding. Look at me." She concentrated on the stretch of skin between Harry's nose and upper lip. "Ginevra…"

At that moment he gripped a thick lock of long red hair and jerked her head up. She released a gasping shriek in shock and pain. To her great misfortune, this caused her boyfriend to stir. Draco wretched her head closer to his own.

"Don't you ever think I don't feel anything. _Ever_." He spoke in short, livid, dangerous breaths that terrified the young woman.

She heard Harry yawn from below her.

"Did you say something, Gin?" She heard a popping noise in the background, signaling that Draco was gone.

"No, it was just a dream." Harry smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Tell me about it." Ginny averted her eyes away from him and focused on the roses he had given her. "Ginny? Is there something wrong?"

_Our relationship is over. I hate lying to you. It hurts so damn much, Harry._

"It was a nightmare. I don't want to talk about it." Harry tucked a lock of flaming red hair behind her ear. "Well, it's over now." She smiled weakly at him.

_No it's not. I've been living in a nightmare ever since I ruined our relationship. _

Now that the veil of Ginny's hair no longer blocked his vision, Harry was able to see more of the room. This advantage was to her great misfortune.

"What are those?"

"Pardon?"

"What are _those_?" Ginny followed his eyes to the nearby coffee table where the pages of the diary lay in a stack. She shook her head.

"Just spare pieces of parchment. Nothing important." Harry sat up in a fashion in which Ginny ended up being hoisted onto his lap.

"Looks like someone's been writing on it." He reached out to take a sheet. Ginny's hand grabbed his wrist before he was even close to the pile. Harry watched her in confusion. "What's gotten into you today?" Ginny looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"I just don't like people in my things. That's all." Harry sat back and put an arm around her, his expression slightly grim.

"What happened to us?" he asked quietly. "Ever since the night at the pub, we've been growing apart."

_Oh, Harry. We've been growing apart a long time before that. _

"Ginny, can I ask you some questions?"

_Uh oh. _

"Sure, luv."

"Do you have feelings for someone else?"

_Yes. _

"No."

"Look at me and tell me that." Slowly, Ginny raised her head.

_Ooh, what pretty green eyes. I forgot how nice they were to look at._

"Harry, this is silly. I can't believe you would think I would do such a thing." She slid off his lap and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm hungry," she said over her shoulder. "Would you like anything?"

"Are you in love with Draco Malfoy?"

Ginny froze.

_Shit. _

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear that."

"Yes you did." Harry's voice was suddenly more intimidating. "Now answer me, Ginevra. Do you love Malfoy?"

She spun around in complete shock.

"Harry, I hate Malfoy more than you do. Where did you get that idea from?" Harry stood and came over to her, leaving roughly three inches of space between the two of them. His face was the same color as Fleur's had been only a few hours earlier. Ginny could feel his sharp, furious breaths on her face.

"Back during the war against Voldemort, I was captured and held hostage in the dungeon of the Malfoy Mansion. For eight days I spent inhaling this sickening metallic scent that just wafted throughout the dungeon." He grabbed her by her upper arms and wrenched her closer to him. "And only a few moments ago, I could have sworn I smelled that same metallic stench when I was waking up." His grip grew tighter. "Malfoy was here. I heard his voice. _I heard his voice, Ginny_." He was shaking her and a strange flame roared in his eyes. "'Don't you ever think I don't feel anything. _Ever._'"

"H-h-harry, you're overreacting, dear," she stammered. "You're imagining things."

"You love him."

"No I don't." Harry's eyes whipped over to the coffee table where the pages of the diary lay.

"Then tell me what those pieces of parchment are."

"They're just some of my—"

"They're love letters, aren't they?" he sneered. Ginny saw his left eye twitch slightly. Harry's grip became even harder as he dragged her across the room to the coffee table. "What's this?" He snatched a page off of table and read the date. "_August 13__th_Oh, God. How long have you had this relationship with Malfoy?"

"It's not a love letter. It's—"

"_God forgive me for destroying what a girl holds most dear: her innocence._"

Harry's mouth opened to say something, but it was never heard, for both he and Ginny were whisked into the world of Severus Snape.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around the foreign room. "Is this a Pensieve?"

The two found themselves in a small, dull bedroom with a single cot in a corner and a lamp on either side of it. Bookshelves crammed with thick novels and potions took up half of the walls in the room. It was unnaturally tidy, possibly because there wasn't much that could be thrown onto the floor, since everything was on one of the many bookshelves.

A teenage boy with a long hooked nose and greasy straggly raven hair paced across the room. Between his two pale lips hung a freshly lit cigarette.

Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Is that—"

"Yes," Ginny responded. "That's Snape."

"So let me get this straight," another member of the room said. Both Harry and Ginny whirled their heads around to see a striking blonde girl Snape's own age lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Narcissa Malfoy." Harry murmured.

"Black," Ginny corrected. "Narcissa Black."

"You're in love with Evans," Narcissa clarified. Severus blew out a puff of thick grey smoke and paused to look at her.

"Her name's Lily. And yes, I do like her." He blushed slightly. "A lot."

"_What?_" Harry bellowed. Ginny put a finger to his lips.

"Listen."

"And you told her you loved her," Narcissa continued. Ginny noticed her beau's fist clench. She put a hand on his arm.

"Yeah," Severus confirmed.

"And she told you that you were sick and to piss off."

"Do you have to go through this play-by-play?" he snapped. The blonde turned on her side to face the boy. She frowned at him.

"Do you want my help or not?" she asked in a strict voice. Severus lowered his eyes and nodded. "Good," she said in her usual calm tone, and continued to lie on her back. "So after you completely humiliate yourself," a small mocking smile appeared on her face, "you decide to make her jealous by going after her sister."

"Exactly."

"The ugly one?" Severus blew out another ball of smoke.

"What other sister does she have?"

"Point taken. So you start making small talk and you end up going further than you wanted to when the ugly sister shoves her tongue down your windpipe in front of her house." Snape shivered involuntarily. "And Evans—"

"Lily." Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"Fine. And _Lily _sees it all. Jump one day forward, and she's in your family room squawking about how she doesn't want you to be with her sister."

"Mmmhmm."

"And you make a deal with her: she pretends to be in love with you for a day and you stop everything with her sister."

"Yeah."

"Clever."

"Thanks."

"So you invite the ugly sister over to tell her it's over."

"Yeah."

"And you slept with her." Harry's face became a bright shade of green.

"Yeah." A long silence broke out between the two. Eventually Narcissa spoke in slow, careful words.

"Was it against her will?" Another awkward pause. Severus' eyes seemed to be glued to a stain on the carpet.

"No," he said quietly.

"And now she won't leave you alone." Severus stared at her through his black eyes, shocked at her indifference towards what he had done to Petunia Evans. He blew out more smoke and collapsed on the bed beside her.

"You know me far too well." Narcissa laughed. "She won't stop knocking on my door. She keeps throwing pebbles at my window. Hell, she's even called me on the phone over twenty times today."

"Called you on the what?" Severus shook his head.

"Never mind. It's a muggle contraption." He took one last drag and put out his cigarette on an ashtray that lay at the side of the bed.

"Well, what do you expect? Through her eyes, her boyfriend just slept with her because he loves her just _that _much. Now she thinks you feel badly about it and you don't want to hurt her anymore, so you stop seeing her altogether. But secretly you're _so _in love with her. And she wants you to know that she's alright with what happened." Severus turned to face her.

"Wow." Narcissa nodded and threw an arm around his middle, pulling him closer.

"Girls work strangely, don't they?" Severus nodded. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I thought _you_ were helping me."

"I told you what Ugly Muggle was thinking. Now the rest is up to you." Severus heaved a deep sigh.

"Why do girls have to be so confusing?"

"Because it's fun to mess around with wizards' heads."

"You're evil, Narcissa Black." She laughed.

"So what are you going to do with Lily's sister?"

"Tell her I'm in love with Lily and that we've secretly been together for years." He smirked. "That way she'll never think to even try being with me."

"Well, here's your chance to do it now," Narcissa said, gesturing toward the window. Harry, Ginny, and Severus all jumped at the angry horse-faced blonde peering past shrubbery into the bedroom.

"What the hell, Petunia?!" he screamed once he opened the window. The skinny girl toppled into the bedroom and quickly stood.

"I think I should be asking _you_ that, Severus," she hissed, glaring at the other teenage girl. Her eyes snapped back to the boy. "Who is _she_?" Petunia pointed a bony finger at her. "Why were you lying with her? Are…are you _cheating _on me?" Narcissa looked as if she might burst out laughing at the hysterical girl in front of her.

"Tell her, Sev," she said coolly.

"Sev? _Sev_?" Petunia shrieked. "I thought _I _only called you Sev."

"Oh, shut up, Petunia," Snape said.

"Don't you tell me to shut up when you're the one who's been cheating on his girlfriend! _I _should be telling _you _to shut up because…because…"

"You're not my girlfriend, Petunia. And since you're not my girlfriend, I can't cheat on you." Petunia's face now resembled a horse-shaped plum.

"NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND?! Severus, don't you remember what happened last night?"

"Um yeah…about that," Narcissa cut in. "The truth is, he was trying to tell you that he didn't want to see you anymore. He's actually interested in one of my best friends. I don't think you know her. Her name's Lily Evans." For a moment Severus thought Petunia's eyes might pop out of her skull.

"SEVERUS HOW COULD YOU TELL HER! AND YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH LILY?"

"Actually, he's loved her for quite a while. You see, Sev and Lily have been going together on and off for the past year." Narcissa smiled. "I was the one who introduced them." Petunia shook her head in disbelief.

"No," she murmured. "No, it can't be. Lily would have told me about this." Severus smirked.

"You'd be surprised at the secrets from the wizarding world your sister keeps from you," he said. Petunia's mouth dropped open.

"You…you wizarding _freaks _are…are…"

"Evil?" Narcissa provided.

"Cruel?" Severus added.

Upon realizing that the witch and wizard were merely mocking her, Petunia released a shriek of fury and left the house—through the window.

"Charming little muggle girl," Narcissa commented once she had left. "We should have toyed with her a bit more.

A sudden knock came to the door. Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"That girl doesn't give you a break, does she?" Severus shook his head.

"No. That'll be Lily."

"Fulfilling her part of the deal?"

"Mmhmm."

"Good luck, Sev." Narcissa gave him a friendly hug, and with a distant _pop_, she disappeared.

Both Harry and Ginny followed Snape-the-teenager through his bedroom, into the dingy living room, and to the front door. Severus opened the door and gave her a wide smile, displaying two jagged rows of yellow teeth.

"You look dreadfully uncomfortable," he said, trying to hold back a laugh. The stunning redhead glowered at him.

"Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, no," Snape said, forcefully locking arms with her, "this one I'm going to drag out."

"I hate you." Severus turned and gave her another chilling grin.

"With that attitude, we'll be snogging at the end of the day."

"I love you, darling." He smirked.

"That's better," he said, kissing her on the cheek. Both Lily and Harry appeared to be violently ill.

"This is going to be a long day," she murmured miserably. His smirk widened into another smile.

"I know. Isn't it just lovely?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes. Just _so _lovely."

Harry and Ginny never did get to see how long the day was going to end up, for they were soon thrust back into the present-day world.

Ginny noticed that her beau's face was as red as a beet.

"Harry?" she said, shaking him slightly. "Harry, are you alright?" The young man looked down at Ginny and scowled.

"I should have never let him go," he sneered.

"What? Are you talking about Snape?"

"He's the reason my aunt hates me. He's the reason _I went through hell for the first seventeen years of my life!_"

"Harry, what's gotten into you? It's a memory. It's already happened. There's nothing you can do about it." Harry didn't seem to hear her.

"What else has he done? _What's he done to my mum?!_"

"Harry, you're acting crazy. Snape's already living his life as a fugitive. Stop worrying about what's happened in the past. Think about the present." Harry's eyes now became nothing more than two giant green ovals.

"The _present_? You want me to keep thinking about how my girlfriend could be cheating on me with Malfoy?" Ginny flushed a deep crimson red.

"You know I didn't—"

"I'm going to kill him," he sneered, clutching Ginny roughly. A maddening smile spread across his face. "But first, I'm going to find Draco Malfoy."


	12. Love and War

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Wow…it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry :[ buuuuut….at least I'll be able to update much more since I don't have school in the way! I hope you guys have enough fun reading this as I did writing it!

Chapter 12

"This," Bellatrix Lestrange said, thumping her long index finger onto the wooden table, "is no longer a war between good and evil. It is no longer about Death Eaters under the rule of the Dark Lord trying to kill each and every Auror scum in order to find Harry Potter. Forget the past war. Throw it away. Disperse it from your very thoughts, for something new and stronger has begun. This war we will be fighting is not based on the lust to kill, or the tattoo on the inside on one's wrist." Her face contorted into something oh so familiar and terrifying to the rest of the witches and wizards at the table. Everything refined withered away from her features, and something purely wicked writhed inside. Her voice grew more powerful; each word was shot out in a fierce, sharp, heart-rattling snarl. "The foundation of this war runs through the blood of many of you, and is held close to the hearts of the rest." Her fiery eyes swept across those sitting at the table. "Or so I should hope." She stood, overcome with the fierceness which coursed through her veins. "What I am talking about is the war between the Blacks and the Potters."

"What have the Potters done to us?" Callista asked lazily. "After all, there's only one left." Had anyone else spoken during one of Bellatrix's speeches would have been instantly killed. The leader didn't do as much as flinch at her daughter's interruption. She looked down at the young woman instead and took her hand.

"Not only are we battling Potter, but all of his allies as well. So actually, luv, there are many 'Potters' left."

"But what has he—"

"Why Callista, my dear, he's murdered your uncle for goodness sake, which turned your aunt into little more than a whore." Narcissa flushed a deep shade of red at this, to which Bellatrix responded, "Not that this is anything new." She glanced suggestively from her sister to Everard. "And who can forget the fact that the Blacks and Potters have been feuding for several generations?"

"They have? Since when?" Pansy questioned. Bellatrix turned to look at Draco, who sat at Pansy's side.

"Draco, luv, can't you do something about that mouth of hers? I'm in the middle of talking to my daughter and I'm a bit too busy to slap her myself." Pansy burned with anger while Callista seemed to be suppressing a smile. Bellatrix looked back at the woman in front of her. "You see, Callista, no one truly knows the root of the feud between our families. However, there's been far too much bloodshed for the original problem to matter. Jillian Potter murdered Charis Black. Belvina Black tortured Herald Potter for two months. The list goes on and on, my dear. This is a very old battle we're fighting."

"But how does a war like this end?" Pansy continued to ask. Bellatrix opened her mouth to say something nasty, but her daughter spoke instead.

"When all the Potters and their little friends are exterminated."

"Or until we're united," Draco commented.

A long silence fell between them. His cousin gave him a deadly glare, while Bellatrix appeared to be somewhere between shock and utter disgust. Both Narcissa and Blaise, he noticed, seemed to be focusing her eyes on everything except him and the situation. Snape merely sat back and looked highly amused; his thin, pale lips curled into a wicked smile. Draco couldn't do so much as glance at Pansy. He didn't need to. He could picture her facial expression already: excruciatingly hurt with the words _how could you _etched all over black watery eyes.

"Mistress Bellatrix," came her voice from beside him, "I'm afraid he's becoming a bit too attached to the Weasley girl." Draco's jaw dropped as he stared up at her in disbelief.

Her reaction was far from what he had expected. A hatred that nearly terrified him burned in her eyes. She glanced down at her beau. Sad was a word that couldn't remotely describe her. Haughtiness oozed through her pores; her angered eyes nearly screamed _look what I can do to you_. For the first time, Draco actually feared his girlfriend.

"Aunt Bella, what she's saying—" he tried to sputter out. Bellatrix put her hand up dismissively, commanding him to be quiet.

"Elaborate, Parkinson," his aunt demanded. Pansy stood.

"Ever since he first captured her, I've noticed that he's had such a strange infatuation with Weasley. That's why he wants to be united. Draco is convinced that if he could somehow bring both feuding sides together, he would be with Weasley forever."

"Aunt Bella, you _know _she's lying through her teeth," Draco snapped, staring at his girlfriend with furious eyes. Bellatrix nodded in his direction.

"Yes, that is very _very _far fetched, Parkinson. Know your place. _Don't _go around making false accusations unless you can give me specific proof," she said in a darkly significant tone. "You may just find yourself in a painful yet easily avoided situation." Draco watched with satisfaction as Pansy clutched the wooden table with frustration and anger.

"Mistress Bellatrix, I _do _have evidence." His face fell.

"I'm waiting," Bellatrix said impatiently. Pansy cleared her throat and stood.

"Well, my Mistress, I once took the liberty to arrive at one of her business trips, using the Polyjuice potion to convert myself into one of the women she was interviewing. Early on in my investigation, I caught her reading one of Draco's love letters in the dead of night. She seemed a bit uneasy when I confronted her about it, but after a little interrogation, she revealed to me just how much she was in love with him."

"That's the plan, isn't it?" Draco said defensively, standing up and facing her. "I woo her, she falls in love with me, we take her here, and when Potter starts sniffing around, he'll find himself inside the Malfoy Mansion. He dies, Weasley goes free, and the war is _over_."

"Weasley doesn't go _free_!" Pansy squawked. "Weasley dies along with him because she's _one of his allies_."

"You're just angry because I'm sleeping with the one girl who intimidated you most at Hogwarts."

"_WHAT?_" Draco gave her a signature Malfoy smirk.

"Did I stutter? Don't act like you didn't think she was pretty. Remember that day when you dyed your hair red because you thought it'd be attractive?" Pansy burned with anger and hatred.

"Shut _up_! None of those fucking Weasleys are attractive. They're poor and insufferable and—"

"What about Ronald? Ever since he started snogging that whore in sixth year I nearly had to keep you on a leash from jumping on him!"

"I was having family problems, _okay_? And I told you never to mention that to _anyone_!"

"Family problems? _Family problems? _Your dad bought you an apartment in Paris!"

Nearly everyone at the table appeared highly amused. Both Everard and his half sister stifled giggles. Narcissa sat back with Severus and enjoyed the scene. Goyle's face converted from its typical scowl to a clown-esque grin. Even the strict and wicked Bellatrix Lestrange conjured a glass of wine out of thin air and drank it slowly as if to savor the taste and this apparently hilarious argument.

The only person who wasn't blatantly pleased by the sudden outburst was Blaise Zabini. Full lips slightly parted and already narrow eyes turning to disgusted slits on his face, he was obviously disturbed at how his closest friend portrayed himself. He quickly took the liberty of vanquishing the childish argument before Draco could humiliate himself any further.

"Mistress Bellatrix, may I suggest we all part for the day? Our meeting is clearly over." He gestured with his hand to the bickering couple.

"I suppose," she responded, slightly deflated that Draco and Pansy would have to stop fighting. "Blaise, escort my nephew to his quarters and cajole him. Callista dear, please do the same for Parkinson." She then leaned toward her daughter and spoke in a stage whisper, "Don't make any sudden movements though, luv. She's a bit daft, if you haven't noticed."

The last thing Draco heard before being shoved violently into his bedroom was his cousin chuckling to Bellatrix's insult.

"What the _hell_," Blaise said through gritted teeth as he closed the door behind them, "was _that_?" Draco stared at him through wide eyes.

"You're blaming _me _for what happened in there?" Blaise put a hand on each of his friend's shoulders and shook him slightly.

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm telling you that you practically gave yourself away, let alone that you also made a complete ass of yourself."

"What, pray tell, did I give away?"

"Draco, if you weren't related to Bellatrix, you'd be dead by now." Draco paled at the thought of being murdered by his own flesh and blood.

_She's done it before_, he thought to himself as a memory flashed before his eyes. It had been nearly a decade ago, back when the Dark Lord was in power. Thick sheets of rain stormed down on all of the Death Eaters as Bellatrix led them to Auror campgrounds. A silver-haired man with Bellatrix's deep-set eyes was the first to notice them, and the first to die was well. That was the second time Draco had ever met his great uncle; the first was when she performed the Cruciatus curse on him three days prior to the event.

"My aunt's crazy," he said distantly, his mind still rummaging through memories.

"No shit," Blaise chuckled. "You're a lucky man, Draco Malfoy. The only way for her to lay a finger on you is if you blatantly tell her you've got it for the Weasley girl."

"That's a lie," Draco continued in his distant voice. The other man raised his femininely arched eyebrows. "The first thing you said, I mean," he said quickly, converting back to his typical drawl. "Aunt Bella wouldn't hesitate to kill me." Blaise stared intently into his friend's pale eyes.

"Listen to me, Draco," he said in a darkly significant tone. "The only thing that's been protecting you from instant death from both the Dark Lord and Mistress Bellatrix is your relationship with her. If she hadn't covered for you on so many occasions…" his voice trailed off for a moment before he shook his head slightly and continued. "The point is that now the Dark Lord has been vanquished, Mistress Bellatrix has taken his place. Through her eyes, you're the son she never had. You could have jumped up and down screaming that you love Mudbloods and she would have done _nothing_. She'd have done anything for you then, but not anymore. She has a child now, Draco. Callista has taken your place, and there's nothing you can do about it. Mistress Bellatrix may still fawn over you a little now, but mark my words, Draco, in time you will be treated just as the rest of us."

"'The rest of us'? Blaise, I've been treated just as you have for a—"

"Who do you think you're fooling? If it was me in there squawking about uniting Mudbloods and blood traitors, fussing over stupid worthlessness with Pansy—"

"She performed the Cruciatus curse on me, if you haven't remembered!" Draco barked.

"She's done a hell of a lot worse to the rest of us! Look at the state she's put your mother in! The poor woman's spooning with Snape every chance she gets, crying all the time and such. Did you see the permanent scars on Snape's arms? Greyback's still gone off into hiding after she nearly murdered him. What about me? What about _me_, Draco? I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't fucking _breathe _without wondering what insanity Mistress Bellatrix is going to concoct next. And poor, poor Draco Malfoy. He had the Cruciatus curse performed on him. He's in love with a blood traitor. And _oh the agony_, he might just have to accept that he has a sleazeball as a half-brother."

"SHUT UP!"

Blaise proved to be the faster of the two, whipping out his wand before Draco had the chance to rummage around in his robes for his own.

"Silencio!" he roared. "Petrificus Totalus!" Draco fell silently onto his bed. "Just listen," he snapped, propping his friend up against the wall into a sitting position. "I'm doing this for your own good. I know you're in love with Weasley. I know you hate yourself for having to put her through this. I know this wasn't intentional." He paused for a moment. "And I know about Everard and Pansy. Sorry about that. You really need to dump her, mate." Draco rolled his eyes. "But anyway, this business with Weasley needs to be finished as soon as possible. She can't join us, no matter how much you want her to. She's a blood traitor, remember? Blink twice if you understand." Draco frowned deeply, and after a few moments he signaled his understanding. "Good. Now, this is what's going to happen: I'm going to undo the jinxes and you'll find Weasley. You're going to break up with her and she's going to be heartbroken. You'll tell her that if she wants to find you you'll be at your mother's house. That's when we hold her hostage. You are not to give her a chance, and you are not to tell anyone of this plan. Understood?" Draco gave him an expression filled with as much resentment as he could muster at the moment before blinking his eyes twice. Blaise smiled with satisfaction and pointed his wand at the other man. "Remember Draco; don't give her the slightest chance. She'll get under your skin. If she sees you're still interested, she'll take it in run. Understood?" Draco felt the rigidness of his body melt away as the jinx lifted.

"Understood."

--

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Did you say something?" Draco looked down at the unclothed woman whose head rested on his bare chest.

"No," he replied, absently tracing his middle finger along her spine. "I was talking to myself.

Ginny watched his arm which lay on his stomach, the Dark Mark burned into his forearm rising and falling with every breath.

"I think about you more than I should," she said abruptly, breaking the silence.

"Pardon?" Ginny looked up into his startled grey eyes.

"You're a terrible man. You treat me horribly. You pull my hair, you destroy my relationships, you make me do things I don't want to do. And yet I think about you every second of every day." Draco smirked at her vulnerableness.

"Well, the Malfoys tend to have that effect on people."

"_I'm not kidding, Draco_." She heaved a great sigh and rolled over, refusing to touch or look at him. "Forget it." Several awkward moments passed before either of them spoke.

"Is that a ferret tattooed on your back?" he asked with amusement, insisting on keeping a light tone.

"It's my Patronus," she said quietly. Then with a bit of derision, "Sound familiar?" Draco chuckled.

"You weren't lying, Gin. I never knew you thought about me _that _much. Your own Patronus, eh?" She inched a little further from him and pulled the bed sheets even further up her body, concealing the tattoo from view. A long silence fell between them. After several minutes, Draco wondered if she had drifted off to sleep. He reached out to touch her freckled shoulder, the last bit of skin still exposed to him. Ginny quickly shrank away on contact. "Ginny," he began, "I didn't mean to—"

"Do you know what happened yesterday," she said, her voice cracking with emotion, "before you came here?" She gave him no time to respond. "He made me tell him that I loved him, and that I'd never leave him, and that I-I-I…" She released a dramatic sob, unable to continue. Ginny rolled over to face him, revealing her red, tearstained face. "I promised him I'd never hurt him. I promised him I'd love him forever." Draco stroked her face gently.

"Don't think I don't feel anything, Ginny." She frowned.

"Yeah, I heard that one before. I…" she stopped herself in mid-sentence upon realizing what he was referring to. "_Oh._"

"Would you like to hear about how much I told Pansy I loved her?" he said darkly. Ginny flushed a deep crimson. "Forgot I had feelings, did you?" She cast her eyes down to the cool stone floor. "It's easy to forget when you've been openly loved all your life, now isn't it?" he sneered. Her eyes flew back to Draco in surprise and confusion.

"Pardon?"

Draco appeared equally shocked at his statement, for he quickly stood and began to dress himself. He knew he had said too much; emotions were not part of the plan. Draco attempted to abandon his shock by dressing as casually as possible while moving as quickly as possible.

_She'll get under your skin. _Blaise's voice pounded in his head.

_You have a job to do._ This was his own voice now, clear and level-headed. Calm and certain. _No emotions attached. Break her heart, Draco. You'll die if you don't. You know that. Aunt Bella _will_ kill you. _

He was fully dressed when she finally spoke, scattering his thoughts.

"Well?" she said with a slightly irritated tongue. "What do you mean by 'openly loved'?"

_Be swift. Tell her to leave now_, he commanded himself.

"I think it's time for you to leave. Potter's probably worried."

_Well done. _

"You don't give a damn about Harry. Talk to me, Draco." It was more of a command than a plea. She crossed her arms against her bare chest. "Why don't you ever express some emotion? What are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing," he said through clenched teeth. This was not going as planned. _She should be leaving right now and I should be telling her to find me at Mum's house. _

"That's a lie and you know it. Show that you have a heart." Ginny wrapped the bed sheet around her and strode over to him. Draco couldn't help but think of how strongly she resembled a bride as the huge white sheet trailed a few feet behind her as she walked. She allowed a few inches between them once she stopped in front of him. He sneered.

"Aw, ya caught me. I chucked it away years ago when I found out stealing another kid's toy broom might make you guilty."

"I'm not kidding," she snapped. "Why are you so terrified of opening up to someone? You've said it before: 'Don't think I don't feel anything'. And the moment I try to help you feel, you shove me away!"

"Well maybe I don't want you to help me feel," he said as coolly as possible, trying his hardest to keep his posture. "If you want a wizard who just loves to _feel_, go back to Potter."

"Well, I can't bloody well do that so easily, now can I?"

"Is that so?"

"Yes it _is _so!"

"I'll make it a bit easier for you, Ginny. I'll show you the door. We're done!"

"I'm not leaving this house, Draco!"

"Why the hell not?"

"_Because you need me, that's why!_"

A distinguished chill seemed to float around the slim space between Ginny and Draco. What she said clearly crossed the line. All composure and calmness rocketed away from him. The strangest expression burned in his eyes.

"I don't need _anyone_." There was an undeniably cold hiss to Draco's voice. "I told you before, Ginevra. All I want is someone to share power, sex, and money with. There's no needing. There's no love. And there's certainly no chocolate-covered, midnight-kissing, daffodils-and-roses _emotion _involved."

"Do you know what _I _think?"

"I don't care what you think," he hissed.

"I think you want to be Harry Potter."

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." Draco walked around her and began to saunter out the vast room.

"You're jealous of us, Draco Malfoy!" she screamed behind him. "You're jealous of us because we have a relationship filled with needing and love and chocolate-covered, midnight-kissing, daffodils-and-roses emotion, and you've _never_ had that! That's what you _really _want, what you _really _need! I grew up in a home full of eight people who loved me, and you think that all this love will emulate off of me, don't you? You think you'll just absorb all that love and affection like a sponge, don't you? Well, it doesn't work that way! You have to cry and break and shatter to get that. And it just _kills you _that you've never experienced the love Harry has. You're just so different from him and it eats you away inside to know that your exact opposite has someone who you want and need!"

"_Shut up! _Shutupshutupshutupshutup SHUT UP!" Draco spun on his heels just before he reached the door. His face was distorted with rage and fear and pain. "You want some emotion? _You want some emotion? _WELL HERE IT IS!" His heavy, uneven breathing scared her slightly. "Yes, Potter and I are different, but in essence, Ginny, _in essence_ we are the same _exact_ person. Both of us were brought up by two wretched beings bent on outward appearances. We were both and still are trapped inside our minds. The only difference between him and I is that I channel this aching misery into bitter hatred while Potter twists his head around backwards trying to prove that he really isn't boiling over with hate. He prances around trying to mask his fury and I celebrate it. _That's _why he hates me so. Not because I'm evil. Not because I was a Death Eater. Not because I'm a narcissistic brat. But because he so desperately wants to be as bitter as I am, but he can't because he's the fucking _chosen one. _So go back to Potter. I really don't care. But I promise you, Ginevra Weasley, that one of these days he's gonna snap. It may be a week from now. It may be ten years. But he's gonna snap. And you'll sit there thinking _Oh my God. I'm in love with Draco Malfoy. Only this time he's got a scar on his head. _So don't tell me about how much I want to be Harry Potter because I FUCKING _AM _HIM! He's gonna get so damn tired of this happy act and he'll be as bitter as I am, you just see!"

For the first time since his sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco began to cry. He fell back against the door and slid down until he became a sobbing heap on the floor. He hated the disgustingly salty taste of hot tears. The disappointed, furious whisper of his father resounded in his mind.

_You failed your task, Draco. You're weak._

Those two words had more of an impact on him than Ginny would ever know. He hugged his legs to his chest and buried his head between his knees.

"I'm not weak. I'm not weak. I'm not weak, Daddy, I swear," he whispered as he rocked back and forth. "You're the weak one. _You _failed your task. You were supposed to be a dad. You were supposed to be _my _dad. You were supposed to teach me love, Daddy. WHY DIDN'T YOU TEACH ME LOVE?"

It was mere moments later when he felt something warm and soft clutch his rocking and shaking body. He looked up with moist eyes to find a flaming red mane pressed against his cheek as she pulled him closer. Trembling and sobbing, he wrapped his arms around her sheet-covered back and embraced her. She pulled away momentarily only to look into his watery grey eyes. Ginny gently held his face in her hands, brushing away tears with her thumbs as they trickled down his cheek.

"You have to cry and break and shatter to find love," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. Draco let himself melt into her and rest his head on her chest.

"Is this love, then?" he asked quietly. Ginny stroked his white-blond hair and smiled slightly.

"You're almost there." He sighed and pulled her closer still.

"Ginny, I know you hate doing this, but I need you to promise me something." She abruptly stopped stroking his hair. A long silence fell between them before she finally spoke in a painfully soft voice.

"What is it?" Again, he pulled her closer to him, squeezing her tighter.

"You can leave me forever if you want to. Go to Potter if you must. I don't care. But not tonight. I need you to promise me tonight, Ginny. I need you to love me for just one night. I don't want to be here alone." She pulled back once more to look into the now beseeching and vulnerable grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"I promise," she said, kissing him softly. "This one night, I'll forget about Harry and the rest of them. For tonight, I will love you, Draco." She kissed him again, and he knew he would fall asleep in her arms.

It was then, he decided, that he would tell Ginny every last detail of what was happening. His secret life, Everard, Callista, the new war would all be revealed to her. But most of all, he would warn her of the plan that would conclude in the deaths of her and Harry Potter. However, he would wait for that moment. Just before it was too late, just before she'd unknowingly be led to her death, he'd tell her everything.


	13. The Women Draco Loved

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Wow…it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry :[ I hope you guys have enough fun reading this as I did writing it!

Chapter 13

The following morning Draco found himself blessedly alone in his bed. There was no redheaded enemy beside him, promising a few hours worth of love. There were no tears induced from his deficiency of childhood love. And there was certainly no emotion. He sat up and smoothed his tousled hair back, recollecting what appeared to be the most realistic and twisted dream he had ever experienced.

"_I need you to love me for just one night. I don't want to be here alone." _Draco shivered involuntarily.

"Sweet Merlin," he murmured, resting his cheek on the cool metal headboard. "Not even in my wildest dreams…" He shook his head dismissively and climbed out of bed. "The plan, Draco. Think of the plan. Her life means your death." Despite his attempt at sending them into another direction, the memories of a seemingly realistic dream crept its way into his thought process like an unwanted intruder. Before he was given the chance to disperse them, the unforgettable image of Ginny's face crumpled and twisted with fury swam to the forefront of his mind.

"_You think you'll just absorb all that love and affection like a sponge, don't you? Well, it doesn't work that way! You have to cry and break and shatter to get that."_

Draco felt himself cringe from those words.

"_You have to cry and break and shatter to find love."_

This was the second time she said it. Her voice was soft now, loving and nearly maternal. This tone of speech irked Draco most of all. He was vulnerable and she knew it. _She knew it_. And yet she chose to not take advantage of him, but to comfort and soothe him. It was a concept he couldn't comprehend. Ginny Weasley, sworn enemy of the Malfoy clan, caring for Draco in his time of need.

He shook his head once more, a final attempt at tucking the thoughts to the back of his brain.

"Don't let it get to you, Draco. The fact is that it wasn't real," he told himself. His own words had no success at consoling him, as an image of Ginny's arms encircling his trembling figure flitted across his eyes. He shuddered without realizing it and went for his bedroom door. "Stop worrying," he demanded of himself, reaching the doorknob. "All you need is a cold showAAAUUGGH!"

Draco heart skipped a beat before he jumped, then stumbled, backwards five feet. In the open doorway stood someone he didn't expect and didn't want to see at that moment. Draco found himself stiff and thunderstruck in a corner, clutching his heart with one hand and wiping his eyes with the other, trying to assure himself that the person who stood before him wasn't real. This had no effect, and to his dismay, he found that he was seeing correctly.

The figure's aquamarine eyes appeared even bluer against unnaturally chalky skin. Draco couldn't bear to look into those eyes any longer, and let his pale grey ones slip to the remainder of the face. _High, prominent cheekbones. Pencil-straight nose that was inconspicuously crooked at the ridge and turned upward slightly at the tip. Thin lips permanently set into a malicious grin. Perfectly square jaw. _

He thought of everything to distract himself from those eyes. They didn't intimidate him in any way. It was the effect of the almost feminine eyes that terrified him. They were his mother's eyes. In those eyes he saw comfort. In those eyes he saw home. _That _was what terrified him. Of all people, he least wanted to see love in the eyes that belonged to such a wicked person.

"Good morning," Everard said, his eyes still locked on his half-brother. A chill slithered up Draco's spine as the other man said only two simple words. Everard's voice was like velvet coated with a slick, oozy substance. It could easily become sweet and comforting—Draco guessed this was one of the tactics he used to coax so many women to his bed—however; his natural voice was filled with a squalid depravity that could, and have, make the boldest wizards cringe.

"How the _hell _did you get in here?" Draco managed to hiss once he collected himself. Everard gave a dramatic pout.

"Is that any way to talk to your big brother?"

"I want to know how you got in my house," Draco snapped. "The doors are locked, there are spells surrounding this place so you can't possibly apparate, the—"

"Do you like my hair?" Draco paused only to stare at the mass atop the wizard's head.

Evarard had cut his hair to a boyishly short length, and to Draco's disgust, he had dyed it to a color identical to his own.

"Why…did you dye it?"

"Callista didn't find it too amusing, and Blaise just laughed when he saw me, but honestly I think this is a good look for me. Draco took a few steps toward him to get a better look.

"Everard, answer me," he demanded. "Why are you doing this and _how did you get in my house_?"

"Well, as far as getting in your house goes, I just walked in." Draco crossed his arms.

"You walked in," he repeated incredulously.

"I walked in."

"How?"

"Well, it's quite a complicated procedure. You see, I balanced on my two feet, then I lifted my right one and moved it forward—"

"You're not funny."

"It's the truth!" Draco was rapidly growing impatient, and planned to blast him apart if he didn't stop being foolish. If only he could find…

"My wand!" he exclaimed, causing his older brother to jump slightly at the sudden noise.

"Yeah, you left it back at the Mansion. It's in my back pocket as a matter of fact. What about it?"

"That's how you got here. Only _my _wand can be used to apparate directly into the house." Everard raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.

"Impressive. You're a smart man, Draco. But no, I took a much simpler route. Ginny let me in."

Draco felt the blood creep away from his face, leaving him paler than the other inhabitant of the room.

"Ginny's here?" he sputtered. "But…but _how_?" Everard winked at him.

"Looks to me like she stayed the night." His thin lips curved upwards into lecherous grin. "Hey, I don't blame you. She really is quite a piece of work." He chuckled, a deep chilling sound. "Now that I've seen her I understand why this little mission of yours is taking so long. Hell, if Bella told me to have sex with some girl who looked like _that_ until I lure her into the Mansion, I'd be taking this long too." He laughed again, this time with more derision. "But I'm sure by now you consider it _making lo_—"

Everard didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, for Draco's furious hands were closed around his throat. Unfortunately, Draco failed to remember that his brother hadn't grown up in the same environment as him, and that he was most likely the best fighter he would ever meet. Everard had him pinned to the floor in seconds.

"Don't you _ever _put your fucking hands on me," the elder brother snarled. His face, Draco realized, remained as tranquil as always. Everard's voice was his weapon. An uncontrollable chill crept up his spine as his brother said these words. "I tried to be nice to you, Draco. I really did. I could've been mean. I could've been _evil_. Do you know how easy it would be for me to tell Sweet Auntie Bella how your plan is completely screwed because you've fallen in love with the redhead? That would destroy you. Literally. When I came here, I could've slept with your Weasley girl. Think about it, Draco. If I can pin a grown man down, do you think I would have any problem with a struggling woman?"

"You _wouldn't_—"

"You're damn right I wouldn't. But I could've. It would have been so easy. _So _easy. I've done it before. So why not do it again?" Draco cringed at the idea. "But you're family, Draco. You, Bella, Callista, Mum, we're all family. Had it been anyone else, I would have had my way with Ginevra Weasley already. I could never do that to you. I could never do that to a girl you care about."

"What the hell, Everard?" Draco snapped. "You shagged Pansy!" The other man rolled his eyes.

"Didn't Mum ever teach you how to listen? I just said I wouldn't do someone you cared about." Draco opened his mouth to speak, but Everard interrupted him before he had the chance to get a word out. "And don't even pretend like you love the girl. Sure, you may have at one point, but now she's just the Hogwarts sweetheart who won't let go no matter how hard you push her away, and now you're stuck. Anyone with eyes could understand that." Draco cringed, realizing with extreme discomfort that he had both lost an argument to and had his mind pried open by a man he barely knew.

"Did you come here just to annoy the hell out of me?"

"Well, that's only half the reason," he responded with an eerie jester-like grin.

"And the other half?" Everard's expression faltered for a fraction of a second, momentarily twisting into a concerned frown. His grip on his younger brother weakened as well, which gave Draco just enough time to wriggle free of his grasp. Draco sat beside him on the floor now, eyes carefully set on the other man's mouth. "The other half?" he repeated. Everard looked intently into the grey eyes that refused to look back.

"You need to hide Ginny. Pansy's paying you a surprise visit." Draco stared at Everard's worried lips in confusion.

"What? Why?"

"The woman's gone mad with jealousy. It's best that Ginny and Pansy don't see each other as long as they live." Draco's brows furrowed, once again, in utter confusion.

"Why can't I just tell her that this is part of the plan?" Everard groaned with frustration and took his half brother by the shoulders.

"Pansy. Is. Crazy. Do you know what could happen if those two were in the same room together?"

"Then why the hell didn't you tell her that I invited Ginny over as part of the plan?"

"I don't know!" Everard sighed and took his hands off Draco. "I told her you needed some alone time, so you went back home for the night."

"Alone time?" Draco snorted. "Is that all you could come up with?"

"It's not as if I was far off, brother. Ginny told me to come to your room and console you. Apparently ickle Dwakey had a rough night." A sudden tenseness entered the room, causing Draco's lips to curl into a furiouse glare.

"What happened to not treating family like shit?" Draco spat through clenched teeth.

"I'm not treating you like shit. Treating you like shit would be saying that even though Ginny didn't tell me, I read on her face that you probably did cry last night." Everard could have stopped right then, but something inside him urged him to twist Draco's heart around his finger even further. "Do you know why I could read it on her face so easily? Because the moment she said you had a rough night, she looked thoroughly humiliated, as if she had experienced something she should have never known. That's when I noticed her entire front was drenched in salt water." He scoffed. "And then I thought, 'No, he couldn't have been crying. He's a man, and he's my brother. And there is no such thing as a weak Black.' You proved me wrong, Draco. The minute I came in here, I saw fear in your eyes. Fear that Ginny would unknowingly tell someone about last night's episode, which she did. Fear that Bella might kill you if she finds out about the real story between you and Ginny, which she will. And finally, fear of looking into my eyes, because you're afraid of trusting me the same way you trusted Mum, and she let you down. In her time of need, she went to Snape, not you. She wrapped herself in Snape's arms, not her only son's. She trusted him with her heart, and not you. And in time, she's gonna love Snape, and not you. And you'll be totally alone. Mum'll have left. Ginny will be long gone. Pansy would have found someone else. And it just eats you away that you _know _that's going to be your future."

_STOP IT!_ _Stop it, please, just stop! _Draco was beyond anger, beyond tears. He couldn't speak, and he hoped that somehow Everard would translate the hurt that lingered in his eyes. _It's true! Alright? It's fucking TRUE! It's excruciating to know that the three women I've ever loved are going to be gone. And I don't want to trust you because I know that you'll be gone, too. You're gonna leave my life and I'm not gonna expect it. I know that in your core, there's some shriveled up piece of love for the brother you barely even knew, and I know that in that piece is a part of you that would kill and die for me. _

Everard put his hand over his mouth in mock embarrassment. "Oops!" he said in a babyish voice. "It musta slipped. Ooh, bad Evvie. _Bad Evvie_. I guess I still have a little Rookwood in me. We're masters at breaking hearts and cracking minds. It's a bit of a sport for us."

_I'm sorry that I'll never know you, Everard. We should have met earlier, before you stopped loving and before I started to feel alone. Now I'm broken and you're wretched. And to think that if we had grown up together, I might be able to say that I love y— _

A sudden ear-splitting scream shattered his reverie. All reflection and worry, all of his ideas of things he wished to say to his brother were erased and was now replaced with a single terrified thought: Ginny.

Everard was the first to sprint into the front room; by the time Draco arrived, the blood had only spread.

The thick green carpet, the walls, the furniture, was all drenched in Ginny's blood. A dark-haired woman with a maddening expression in her even darker eyes stared with amazement at the effects of the Sectumsempra curse she had just preformed. Thin cracked lips spread apart and pulled back until her face was frozen in an animal-esque grin. She laughed: the sound became more of a shriek than a cackle. Two ebony eyes locked on Draco and his brother.

"Pansy, what have you—" The last word caught in Draco's throat once he caught sight of Ginny, who lay bleeding profusely on the floor.

"Don't you dare take one step toward her!" Pansy's voice was several octaves higher than its usual pitch. "You don't love her, Draco! You love me. _You love me!_" Draco felt himself shake his head no. Beside him he heard Everard whisper,

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You killed her," Draco said in a lifeless voice that was not his own.

"Not dead yet," Pansy hissed, momentarily looking at Ginny's figure which still twitched slightly. "Did you ever love me?" Her tone had changed drastically into a pitiful squeak. "Ever?" Draco looked into the black depths of her eyes.

"I stopped loving you when my dad died, long before anything happened with Ginny." Pansy's eyes widened with horror once she realized that innocent blood had been spilt, that this woman who lay tortured on the floor was not the reason for her beau's discontinued affection.

Pansy didn't need to ask why; she knew the reason. She had seen Narcissa Malfoy after her husband's death, seen how shattered she was. Pansy saw how Draco saw himself in his mother, and how he knew he would be the same way if he lost someone he loved. That's why he refused to fall in love. Ginny had merely made him fall back in love. That was enough to make Pansy want to murder, and she no longer felt that Ginny's blood was shed in vain.

"Do you love her?" Pansy's voice was just above a whisper. Draco nodded.

"I think I do." She needn't ask anything else; all her questions had been answered. She drew her wand a second time and aimed at the man who once loved her. Not a single tear formed in her eyes, not a single ounce of heartbreak was expressed when she uttered two words as deadly as they were fateful:

"Avada Kedavra."

"_NO!_" Draco realized with surprise that the voice that had shouted did not come from himself, but from his brother. To his horror, the man who he barely knew, who had torn his heart open minutes earlier, grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace, saving him from death. This was the first and last hug he would receive from Everard Rookwood. As the thick ball of green light hit Everard full in the back, Draco stared directly into his aquamarine eyes and whispered,

"I know that in your core, there's some shriveled up piece of love for the brother you barely even knew, and I know that in that piece is a part of you that would kill and die for me."

For several long moments Draco held his brother's lifeless body, his blue eyes wide with shock—from the blast or the statement, Draco didn't know which. Slowly and carefully, he laid the corpse onto the floor. He looked from Ginny's bleeding figure to his dead brother, and back to Ginny.

"Oh my God," Pansy whispered. "Oh my God, _no_. I didn't mean to…I lost my head, Draco. Oh, God, I'm so sorry." She was shaking now, her wild eyes now gliding back to sanity. "I…I shouldn't have come here. I…I…_oh my God_. What have I done? _What have I done? _Draco, I'm so sorry. _I'm so, so sorry_. This should have never ha—"

"Avada Kedavra."

Draco didn't look at her when he cast the spell, but from the sudden silence that screamed in his ears, he knew he had hit his target.

--

"Oh, damn, I'm late for work," Harry murmured to himself as he sightlessly felt around for his glasses.

"It's Saturday," a dreamy voice said. "Open your eyes, Harry." Harry squinted to find a blurry figure holding out a familiar object. He took it from her hand and muttered a quick thanks as he put on his glasses, and jumped when he discovered how close her face was to his.

"Erm, Luna? You're kinda close."

"Sorry," she apologized without the slightest trace of shame. "Had a good sleep?" Harry groaned and sat up on the couch which he had slept on.

"Hardly."

"Oh?"

"Nightmares."

"Oh."

"Yeah. By any chance, did Ginny come back?" Luna shook her head no.

"You know how demanding her job is." Harry's hands clenched into angry fists.

"We both know that's not true. She's with Malfoy," he snarled, his face twisting into a bestial grimace. "I know she's with him." His nose wrinkled in disgust. "I can still smell that metallic Malfoy stench in this apartment."

"If there really is anything between Malfoy and Ginny, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"She's probably sleeping with him," he snorted. "Do you know what he said when he was here, when he thought I was asleep? 'Don't you ever think I don't feel anything. _Ever_.' And she just stood there when I asked her about it and _lied to my face_." Harry felt the cushions in the couch shift as Luna sat at his side.

"She loves you, Harry. She's flawed, but she loves you just the same." Harry grimaced.

"Why are you so mellowall the time? Don't you ever get mad?" Luna took a mug from the coffee table at their knees and put it to her lips. She paused after swallowing and looked up at him.

"Sometimes, but I try not to think about that. That's where most people go wrong. They let negativity eat away at them and they don't do a single thing about it. They just…lay back and let themselves fall deeper and deeper into a bad mood. By the time they realize what they're doing, they're in such a miserable mood that they don't care." She shook her head and closed her eyes. "A bad mood is such a horrible disease." She opened her eyes and snapped her head up to look into Harry's emerald eyes. "Drink up," she ordered, gesturing to the second mug on the coffee table. He sighed and snatched the cup from the wooden table.

"What's this?" he asked, eyeing the cheery yellow liquid curiously.

"It wakes you up," she replied. "Now drink up." Harry shrugged and took a sip. A warm brightness immediately flushed his face and an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.

"An elixir to induce euphoria," he identified the drink. His smile widened and a girlish giggle escaped his lips. "So _this _is how you stay so cheery." Luna shook her head.

"No. This," she pointed to her own mug, "is green tea." Harry took a great swig of the elixir.

"This is way too much for me," he giggled. "Isn't this unhealthy?"

"Laughter never hurt anyone," she said coolly. "Now, tell me about these dreams you've been having."

"Nightmares."

"Nightmares, then."

"Well…" Harry tapped his forefinger against his chin, trying to recollect his dreams. "In one, I remember Ginny was wearing this green wedding dress, and she was marrying Malfoy. She was supposed to marry me, of course, but Malfoy had Stunned me and used a Polyjuice Potion to turn into me. It was like I was a fly on a wall watching the whole thing play out. It was horrible." Harry shook his head dismissively and smiled. "But that doesn't matter, because in reality, she lives with no other thought than to love and be loved by me." Luna nodded approvingly.

"Poetic," she commented.

"Yup, I read it in your Muggle Studies textbook. Very beautiful work in that book, you know. I had always hated living life when I thought I was a Muggle, but the things they've created are just so beautiful! It…it makes want to sing!"

"Please don't sing, Harry…"

"I never knew you took Muggle Studies. You know, I never got to hang out with you that much. And to think that you're my girlfriend's best friend and I don't even get to hang out with you is just abominable."

"Well, I always thought we were good friends, Harry."

"But I don't wanna be good friend. I wanna be _best friends_. Let's have _fun_, Luna," he said, taking her hands in his. "Don't you wanna have fun?"

"I think I got the proportions on that elixir wrong." Harry shook his head and kissed her on the cheek.

"No, it's perfect, Luna dear. Perfect!" Luna shrugged.

"I'll take your word for it."

"Let's do something really fun together, something we'll never forget," Harry said as he toyed with a lock of her hair. "We could go Snorkack hunting, or I could teach you how to play Quidditch." Harry released a sudden high-pitched gasp and jumped off the couch in a springy motion. "Luna, let's make _cookies_!"

"Sure, Harry. Let's make cookies," Luna said evenly, although her lips curved into a highly amused smile. Harry returned her smile with a wide grin and half-walked, half-pranced into the kitchen. By the time Luna arrived at his side, he already had finished making the batter and magicked a batch of cookies into the oven. "You're fast," she commented with slight astonishment.

"Things go faster when you're happy," he said cheerfully, and with a flick of his wand, he turned on the oven. He opened his mouth to add to his statement, but three rapid knocks on the door interrupted him. "Visitors!" he squealed instead, and did his bizarre half-prance to the front door and swung it open.

If Harry had not drunk the elixir, he would have Cruciated Draco for daring to come to his doorstep, let alone with a half-conscious blood-stained Ginny in his arms.

"Kill me later," Draco murmured as he nudged his way around Harry and placed Ginny carefully on the sofa. "We can have a proper battle when I'm not half-crazy."

"What happened?" Harry asked in a voice that was more concerned than angry. He stared at Ginny, who weaved in and out of consciousness, her clothes soaked with dried blood. He looked back at Draco's face, which was a mixture of terror and guilt. "What happened to both of you?" Draco looked directly into Harry's troubled green eyes, and suddenly appeared to be on the edge of tears.

"Have a seat," Luna said gently, and conjured a chair directly behind him. Draco obeyed and buried his face in his hands and wept quietly. The entire day swept across the forefront of his mind, haunting him. Pansy's high-pitched voice, Everard's wide aquamarine eyes frozen in shock, and the blood, all the blood…

Two soft hands smoothly removed his shaking ones from his face, revealing the rivers of tears that streamed down from his eyes and dripped from his chin onto his bloody robes. For several moments he stared at his own hands which lay gently in Luna's.

"Is she alright?" she asked quietly. Draco finally lifted his eyes to meet her electric blue ones. He nodded and let himself rest his head on her shoulder.

"I have a half brother," he whispered into her ear. "Pansy hurt Ginny, and tried to kill me. He died for me." His voice cracked with emotion, and fresh tears fell onto Luna's shoulder for several minutes.

"Where's Pansy now?" Luna asked after the tears stopped.

"Dead." Luna's hands turned cold against his.

"You killed her," she said stiffly.

"Yes."

"She would have killed Ginny if she had the chance."

"Yes." Draco felt her fingers pull at his hair, forcing her lips closer to the side of his face. He felt them brush against his ear as she spoke in a voice below a whisper.

"Well, that was the plan, wasn't it?" His first instinct was to pull away, but her sharp-nailed fingers prevented him from doing so.

"How did…you couldn't have…"

"You're a horrible Occlumens, Malfoy." Draco's eyes widened with horror, and once again he tried to pull away from her. "You think about Bellatrix's plan all the time when you're here."

"Stop it, Lovegood. Not in front of Potter."

"Here's your chance. Take her to the Malfoy Mansion. Or even better. Kill us all right now. Auntie Bella will be pleased at her little soldier, fighting a foolish battle between two households." All serene dreaminess vanished from her voice, and an unfamiliar cold hatred took its place. A shiver crawled up his spine.

"Bellatrix will murder me. I can't go back."

"Why not? Harry leaves some of his things in Ginny's room by mistake when he spends the night. Take some of those and place Parkinson's and Everard's bodies in the woods somewhere. Make it look like Harry did it. No one will know." Draco shivered involuntarily once more.

"Why are you helping me?" Luna pulled him even closer to him. Her lips were now pressed against his ear.

"Because she loves you." She let him go this time, and he stood immediately. "Go," she mouthed, and gestured to Ginny's bedroom door.

He was gone in seventeen seconds flat.

Luna inched over to where Ginny lay motionless but still breathing. She could see the effects of the elixir lifting from Harry; the chipper glow in his face was gone and was replaced with an achingly mournful expression.

"Have you ever loved anyone, Luna?" Harry asked, his eyes on Ginny.

"I love Ginny. I love my father," she said thoughtfully. "And I love you, Harry." Harry shook his head.

"I mean, have you ever been _in _love?"

"I try to stay away from things that hurt me," she replied in an even tone. "Whenever I have feelings for someone, I pull myself out of it before I get in too far. Going into deep water only makes it easier for the sharks to attack." Harry swept a lock of hair out of Ginny's face and stroked her freckled cheek.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Luna locked her wide electric blue eyes on his green ones which still lay on Ginny.

"Certainly." He finally looked up into her eyes and cleared his throat in discomfort.

"Have you ever accidentally fallen in love?"

"Yes," she replied stolidly.

"What happened?"

Luna looked down at Ginny and sighed.

"A shark attacked."

"Was it anything like my dilemma?" Luna shook her head no.

"Look at your dilemma through Draco's eyes." Harry's eyes finally met hers.

"You loved a man who was taken?"

"Precisely." Harry put an arm around Luna and squeezed her shoulder.

"Wouldn't it be so lovely if sharks didn't exist?" She laughed with relief, knowing that the secret she nearly revealed fell upon deaf, oblivious ears.

"You have no idea, Harry."


	14. Funeral for Two

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley and Rookwood family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

**Note:** Wow…it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry :[ I hope you guys have enough fun reading this as I did writing it!

Chapter 14

Draco watched his mother with pitiful eyes as she clutched her son's lifeless body with trembling arms. The entire household had formed a circle around the long table which was often used as a place of meeting. On that day, however, two corpses lay side by side on the mahogany wood, both drenched in blood. Draco felt a firm hand wrap around his neck and squeeze his shoulder affectionately. He closed his eyes and placed his own hand atop the wizard's in return.

"I'm so sorry," Blaise whispered into Draco's ear as he clutched his shoulder once more. Draco opened his eyes and couldn't detach them from the sight of his deceased brother and the woman weeping over him.

Callista conjured hundreds of tiny black rose petals to fall from the ceiling, showering the bodies in an ebony mist. She sauntered over to her brother in such a graceful manner that, if one hadn't paid attention to her, she seemed to glide across the marble floor. She came to a halt beside Narcissa and took her brother's hand.

"I loved him," Callista said in a voice so painful, so heartbroken that Draco had to look around the room for where the sound came from."I loved him so much." She squeezed his limp hand in her own delicate one before continuing. "When Everard and I were younger, our dad used to tell us that our mothers were the daughters of the devil. 'All day and all night they'd sit on their fiery thrones adorned with human skulls and the eyes of naughty children. All the demons from all the corners of hell wished to wed them, for they were the most beautiful devil children the underworld has ever seen,' he'd tell us. 'But _I_,' he'd say, 'was chosen by the devil himself to give these two beautiful women their children.' Dad would then go on about how he was the strongest and most cunning man in the world, and that is what the devil women wanted their wicked children to become. So Dad gave them children. Unfortunately we were not evil enough for hell, but we were too cruel for earth. So the devil and my father made an agreement: after our deaths, we would live forever in hell with our mothers and grandfather." She chuckled and put her hand over his chest. "Ev and I were proud to be royalty, and would let everyone know who our mothers were. We played games where we pretended that we died and went to hell, where Satan waited for us with open arms. We'd step on the tails of demons and the destroy lives of the people on earth. And when we were tired, we'd fall asleep in our fiery thrones adorned with human skulls and the eyes of naughty children." She was crying silent tears now, and bent over to kiss his forehead. "Save me a spot in hell, big brother."

Bellatrix, whose face was frozen in an expression of total awe, strode over to her daughter and sister in the same gliding motion and stood between the two, clutching both of their shoulders.

Draco couldn't help but notice the other corpse who remained unmourned, unloved. Three beautiful women sobbed over and clutched at the robes of perhaps the most lecherous man Draco had ever met. Everard Rookwood led a life of murder, dark magic, sex, and lies. Those were the things he knew; those were the things he perfected. He had never known passion, he had never known truth, and he had never known falling in love. But the fact that he _did _love at one point in his life, although it was only for family, was what these women mourned for. The one tiny inkling of love that resided deep inside the withered heart of Everard was the only thing these women saw in him.

However the woman who _had _known falling in love, who grasped desperately at it, never letting go, lay alone beside him. Draco suddenly felt an immense wave of guilt fall over him. All she ever asked for, all she ever wanted, was his love and affection. If he had only known the simplicity of her aspiration, he would have never done so much as give Ginny a single passing glance. Pansy adored him and (though she never told him) planned to share her life with him in marriage. However, her life was instead filled to its brim with the painful continuous cycle of love and heartbreak. Draco loved her at one point, and then ignored her when she pestered him. He never had, and never will truly understand the tortuous game he played with her heart. What he did understand, however, was that she lived for love and died for the lack of it.

This was what irked him about this organization in which he was trapped. Wicked lives were celebrated while virtuous ones were scorned. Pansy was a good witch and, had she never met Draco, would have lived a wonderful life. Although she attempted to hide it, she was kind, loving, and deeply passionate inside. Due to these characteristics, she was marked as weak and incapable of being a successful Death Eater. Pansy Parkinson, the most loving person in the room, lay ignored by all others, while Everard was dramatically mourned.

This was the sole reason why Draco decided to tell Ginny the truth the next time he saw her.

"I discovered this," Bellatrix said, interrupting Draco's thought process, "among these murdered bodies." She drew a tiny metal object from her robes. He already knew it was the clasp Harry used to hold his cloak closed. After all, he was the one who grabbed it from Ginny's dresser, who placed it carefully in sight directly beside Everard's shoulder. "_H.P._" She read the initials written in golden script upon the clasp. Bellatrix clutched the object tightly in her furious fist before shoving it back into her robes. "The Potter boy _will_ die for this," she spat, her emaciated features twisting into an enraged glower. "For the sake of Everard, a man who we hold dearly in our hearts"—she touched both Callista and Narcissa's shoulders at this point—"Harry Potter will die." To Draco's surprise, Bellatrix's eyes snapped on him. He froze; terrified that she might have read his mind only a few moments earlier. "I want her here by the end of this week," she commanded him. Draco blinked and opened his mouth to speak. Knowing what he was about to say, she interrupted him. "I don't care about the plan anymore, Draco. Have Weasley here by the week's close. I don't care if you have to drag her here screaming. She _will _be here nonetheless." A twisted smile twitched across her face. "I want Potter to see her die. I want him to watch her scream in agony before eventually going limp." An eerie chuckle emitted from her long throat. "We'll all watch her, as a matter of fact. It should be a nice treat, shouldn't it, Draco?"

--

Luna watched Harry put a protective arm around Ginny from the safe distance of the kitchen. She quickly averted her eyes to the coffee that brewed when she saw Harry's face close in on Ginny's. The sucking sound of lips kissing soon followed, which Luna tried unsuccessfully to drown out with the clinking of teacups on a tray. The sucking sound, which she had learned to detest, lasted far longer than she wished it to.

_You have your health. You've landed a wonderful job as an Auror. _Luna listed the pros of her life, an exercise she found herself doing often when Harry came over. _You snagged the last copy of the Weird Sisters action figures for Angelina's daughter. Remember how she smiled at you? You love seeing Krystal smile. Remember that, Luna. You made a child smile yesterday. _

"I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered in a voice loud enough to unintentionally make Luna wince. "As long as you're safe with me, everything will be alright."

_Everyone loves your coffee. Some say it's better than Mrs. Weasley's. You're a wonderful cook, Luna. A wonderful, wonderful cook. _

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, Harry. You don't deserve this."

"Tell me that you love me."

_You made a child smile. Krystal loves you. She loves you. Someone loves you._

"What?" Both Ginny and Luna felt a sudden tension in the room.

"You heard me." Harry's voice was noticeably colder. "You were slashed open today, but your hearing certainly wasn't impaired. Why won't you tell me you love me?"

"You're overreacting, dear. You already know how I feel about you."

"Does it hurt that bad?" His voice went from cold to furiously quiet. "It hurts you that bad to say that you love me? Or are you afraid that I might sense that you're lying when you say it?" There was a surprised squeak that, Luna assumed, came from Ginny. "Oh, _don't_," Harry sneered. "Don't even start with that pitiful act. As if you could care less that it's killing me to even look you in the face, to know that those lips have already confessed love to Malfoy."

In any other situation, Luna would have swept into the other room and saved Ginny's day. Somehow, she would manage to cram teacups into the angry couple's hands and switch the conversation to a lighter topic. All tension would be lost and the three of them would be laughing.

_Not today_, Luna thought to herself. _Let Ginny suffer her own demons. _It was then when she discovered a stack of old yellowing papers on the kitchen table. She vaguely remembered moving them when cleaning the apartment, and decided to take a recent unread page in her hands. Familiar scribbled words were crammed on the page in bright golden ink. Luna sighed and, wanting to get away from her own world by any means necessary, began to read the diary entry out loud.

"_October_ _14__th_

_It's been three years since I've written in this thing, and there's quite a bit to tell._"

Luna had once read—or rather, forced by Hermione to read—an incredibly long novel on wizard psychology. She remembered being fascinated with the outrageous statistics of how immense emotions affected the lives of muggles. Somewhere in page fourhundredandsomething she had learned, to her great disbelief, that sixty-two percent of all drastic weather changes are induced by a witch or wizard in a state of some extreme emotion.

The moment she was transported into a bitterly cold room without a single source of light save for the violent storm that rumbled past a lonely window, which sliced through the darkness with every slash of lightning, she knew. Snape had experienced something tremendously torturous, something that sent him spiraling down into the most painful form of devastation.

_Flash. _

One flash, one burst of light was all she needed to know everything.

He sat on the edge of his bed, hunched over and naked except for a pair of trousers. She couldn't see his facial features, for his ebony hair fell over it like a black curtain. But by the way his emaciated body trembled due to something other than the cold, the way his milk-white skin appeared even paler than usual, she knew that he had lost something—or someone—that he held dear.

"Get out." The sudden unfamiliar voice startled Luna, forcing her to jump slightly. It took several seconds to realize that it was Snape who had spoken. He had a strange rasp to his voice, the sort of thing one accumulates after prolonged periods of crying.

"I'm not leaving you." A woman's voice. It had a no-nonsense rigid stubbornness to it. Luna noticed a silhouette of a shapely, long-haired woman saunter past with a regal glide. She halted inches away from the hunched body and bent over to stare him directly in the face.

"Get out," he repeated.

"It's been two days."

"I'll leave when I damn well please," he snapped at her.

"You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"We've brought you food." Neither of them spoke for several long moments. Aside from the heavy rain and crashing thunder, the two stared at one another in dead silence. Eventually, the woman spoke. Her voice was almost unrecognizable in its loving softness. "I'm sorry." Snape snorted.

"Does it matter?" She sighed.

"Sev, we love you. We're not going to let you rot here."

"I'm not rotting. I'm mourning."

"You're being defiant and refusing to continue your life. Severus, she's gone and she's not coming back."

"Shut up."

"She wouldn't have wanted you to be like this."

"You don't know her like I did. She wants to be remembered. She wants people to miss her and mourn over her and live the rest of their lives thinking of her every waking moment."

"Not like this."

"Yes, like this!" He shouted over the storm, bolting to his feet and making the woman in front of him stagger backwards. "Don't you get it, Narcissa? She was all I had! She came before you, or Lily, or any other person who ever meant anything to me. She was the most frustrating, stubborn woman I knew, and I loved her for it. _And now she's gone!_" He was crying now, sobbing uncontrollably into his trembling hands. "G-g-get out," he whimpered. She shook her head, and slowly put a hand on his shoulder. "GET OUT!" She jumped, and with a frustrated sigh, she glided out of the room, murmuring something about healing with time as she did so.

Snape was alone for a total of four seconds before a new figure came into the room, running at full speed. It was another woman who was not nearly as shapely or graceful as the first. Her hair appeared to initially be a bun, but was now sloppy and several locks were slipping out of place. She was shorter than Narcissa, and more loving, for she ran directly into him and clutched him with all her might. Both of them fell onto the bed, and Snape seemed to have hit his head on the wall. He groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position, the woman still grasping him around the middle in a forceful embrace. She was out of breath and crying as uncontrollably as he was.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she panted, and Luna heard the sickening sucking sound of kissing as the woman pecked him on nearly every inch of his face.

"Get off me." His voice had calmed down noticeably. Apparently, she didn't hear him and continued to kiss his tear-stained face.

"I shouldn't have left. I had that feeling, you know? I had a feeling something was going to go wrong, but _no_, I just had to go uninvited to Petunia's engagement party."

"Lily—"

"And now this happens! I can't help but think that if I had only stayed here, she might…oh, God." She buried her face in his bare chest and sobbed. Severus gingerly wrapped his arms around her and adjusted her legs so she was sitting in his lap.

"My mother died in her sleep. There was nothing you could have done," he said flatly. Lily sniffed and allowed Severus to rock her gently back and forth.

"But even so, I could have been by her side. I could have been the last person to see her before she—"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Snape interrupted. "She's dead and there's nothing we can do about it." For once, Lily remained speechless aside from a few sniffs and whimpers. Luna heard the quiet rustling sound of Severus sliding his hand along Lily's back repeatedly, comforting her. "You saved her life in so many ways other than this," he whispered into her ear, rocking her back and forth in time with the rhythm of his low voice. "You let her know that her son could love and that he'd be alright. You kept her company when no one else would. You loved her as if she were your mother." His voice cracked with emotion momentarily at the last word. "The fact is, Lily, that you _did _do something. It didn't pertain to her death, but it was a hell of a lot more than I did." For several long seconds, Lily remained silent. After what seemed like days, she finally spoke.

"_Merlin_," she said in awe. Snape nodded his head.

"It's true. You did so much—"

"Not me," she said. "You."

"What about me?" Lily chuckled before choosing her words carefully.

"You're going to be a great dad." Clearly this was not careful enough, for Severus froze and peered down at Lily. "What?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"

"What did you say?" he asked, a strange fear etched in his voice.

"Eileen died, and you drop everything and comfort someone just because they need comforting. That's what dads do."

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

A long silence fell between them.

"Yes?" she asked once more.

"Are you pregnant?" Lily laughed, a sound that reminded Luna of the tinkling of silver bells.

"No, darling." He released a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." Lily laughed again and shook her head.

"My poor oblivious Prince," she murmured. Although Luna couldn't see it, she knew Snape was furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"What? What is it?" She chuckled once more before maneuvering herself so she straddled him. Snape groaned.

"Not now, Lily. Don't seduce me now. My mother died."

"What's your middle name, Sev?" she asked, ignoring him.

"Harry," he said in a voice that was still unsure. "Tell me, Lily. What's this about?"

"Do you remember when Eileen said that we'd be together forever?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"Well, I don't want that to be a lie."

The last thing Luna was able to see before she was swept back into the real world was the sudden sunny weather illuminating Severus' elated face.

The moment she arrived at her apartment, she knew by the quiet sobs that Harry and Ginny hadn't settled their dispute. They emitted from in front of the couch; Ginny must be sitting on the floor.

_Oh dear_, Luna thought to herself. _Did Harry leave her? _She could already picture the scene: Ginny being prodded until she cracked and admitted her affair, and then Harry storming out the door. _They probably won't speak for weeks, _she guessed, and with a sigh she came to terms with the fact that she would pay for the breakup as well. Luna had no doubt in her mind that the next several days would be devoted to comforting Ginny. _Might as well begin now. _ Slowly and cautiously, she inched toward the couch, speaking in the most loving voice she could muster.

"I'm so sorry, Gin. This shouldn't be happen—oh!" Curled up in a ball on the floor was Harry, whose face was hidden behind his knees which he pulled up to his chest. She winced at the sight and forced any negative thoughts about Ginny out of her head before sitting down beside him. _Oh dear. _She sighed inwardly. "Harry?" she asked gently. "Harry, where's Ginny?"

"G-g-gone." His quivering voice was muffled behind his body. "Sh-she told me to get out a-a-and I said 'no'. So she s-s-said she'd leave. And now she's gone." Luna hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to sit beside Harry and comfort him or fix him yet another cup of tea-and-elixir. Another pitiful whimper emitted from Harry, who now shook slightly. Luna held back the sigh that was rising in her throat and took a seat next to him.

"Har—"

"What's wrong with me?" Harry blurted. Luna looked questioningly at the trembling man beside her.

"What are you talking about?" Harry lifted his head from behind his knees, and once again, she was forced to shove away any negative thoughts of Ginny. Try as she might, she couldn't pull away from his startlingly green eyes, now tinted with red. His eyes were as expressive like a child's; the sort of eyes that made one feel every emotion he suffered. Luna forced her eyes to focus on his mouth.

"What's so wrong with me? Why won't she love me? Have I changed?" Luna thought he was speaking to himself until he looked pointedly at her, expecting a response.

"You haven't changed, Harry. _She's _changed."

"And that's why she doesn't love me?" Luna shook her head no.

"She still loves you," she replied swiftly. "Don't think for a moment that she doesn't." Harry laughed mirthlessly.

"I'm sure she does. Nothing says 'I love you' like sleeping with Malfoy and then throwing it in my face the moment we start arguing." Luna's naturally wide eyes grew several inches in size.

"She _admitted it_?" she gasped.

"I asked her why she can't just tell me what I'm doing wrong. Well, I sort of shouted it, actually. But she just looked directly at me and told me, 'It's because you're not like Draco.' And that's when I knew that she was definitely sleeping with him." Luna placed her hand on his.

"Harry," she said quietly, "I'm so—"

"Sorry?" he snarled. "Yeah, so was she." He heaved a heartbreaking sigh and allowed himself to rest his head on her shoulder. "Luna?"

"Yes?"

"You loved a man who was in love with another woman, right?" Luna hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

"Yes."

"How did you deal with it? I mean, how did you deal with seeing someone you're so in love with loving someone else?"

"I've had a lot of practice ignoring things that hurt me in the past. So when it came to things like that, I simply did away with the thought of envy or heartbreak until I couldn't fathom it anymore," she lied. Harry squeezed her hand.

"You never cease to amaze me, Luna Lovegood. I wish I was like you." Luna shook her head and gave a sad smile.

"Be grateful for the life you have. We all have out own demons." Harry snorted.

"I wanted to marry her, you know. The night before this whole mess with Malfoy. The Three Broomsticks was where we had our first date after Voldemort's defeat. I was going to propose to her right there, but when Malfoy and Parkinson came in, I just couldn't give up the opportunity to confront them. Now look at me. I should be engaged. I should be happy. But the only woman I've ever loved decided to give her heart to a man I hate. You have no idea how painful it is to look into the face of someone you love, and know they're devoted to someone else."

"Yes, I do."

"She promised me that she'd never hurt me. She _promised me_. And all the while she was sneaking behind my back to be with Malfoy. Ginny promises me forever, and then sleeps with Malfoy."

Luna tried to suppress thoughts that lay chained to the back of her mind, but as natural and forceful as an ocean wave, they came flooding back in.

_I wouldn't do that to you, Harry. If things were different, I would have _never _hurt you like that. _

Harry was crying now, his entire body trembling beside her.

"We've spent nine years together, and she just…just _destroys it_. She doesn't care! She doesn't fucking care!"

_You shouldn't be with her in the first place. Didn't you realize that the girl who dated everyone back in Hogwarts is not exactly wife material? _Luna gasped at her own wicked thoughts, and blushed a deep shade of crimson. _Stop it. Just stop. He's never going to see you this way. He's never going to love you the way you love him. But he _is _going to love. And isn't that good enough? Isn't it good enough to know that at least he's happy?_

"You must think I'm pathetic, don't you?" Harry asked. "How do you do it? How do you shove all the grief aside and go on with your life like nothing happened?"

"Masks upon masks upon masks of happiness," Luna replied calmly. It was the truth. She had never completely ignored her pain. She simply tucked it away and pretended to be happy. It worked for her. It was the only thing she knew.

Harry stared at her in disbelief.

"So you just want me to _act _happy?" Luna patted his hand.

"Do what's right for you. This is how I operate."

"Luna, you can't just imitate happiness."

"Why not?" she asked, carefully shifting her voice so she appeared curious rather than defensive.

"Because people will assume you're alright and they'll overlook your problems. No one will ever know that you're in need. You'll—"

"Well what if I don't want anyone to know I'm in need?" Luna gasped then, and cupped her hands over her mouth that was frozen in an _O _of surprise. _Did I just snap out at him? Oh my God. _Oh my God. _Just shut up, Luna. Stop speaking right now and listen to yourself. Harry can never help you with your problem because he's the root of your problem. Back away from the situation. Apologize, and change the subject. _"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"I've never seen you angry before, Luna." The expression on Harry's face was pure astonishment, as if he had just woken up from a particularly bizarre dream. He stared at her, his eyes almost as wide as her own. "You yelled at me."

"And I'm sorry, Harry. I'm _so _sorry. We need to stop this. I'm going to make us a bit more tea." Luna rose, but Harry took her by the arm and pulled her back down to the floor. "Let go of me." Her voice was calm and collected once again, but she knew Harry wouldn't allow this opportunity to slip through his fingers.

"Tell me about him." She stared directly into his eyes when she denied him.

"No. I'm not going to talk to you about my personal thoughts." His grip grew tighter, and she gasped at the sudden pain. "Harry!" Tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Just tell me so I don't feel like the only one with a fucked up life, Luna! Can you do that? I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"No." It pained her to know she was causing this. _I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry Ginny's hurt you. I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm sorry you're crying. But I can't tell you, because then we'd both end up crying. We can't have the both of us crying, now can we? Emotions let loose between us will only end in disaster. _

"Ginny knows, doesn't she?"

"Don't be so juvenile. We both know you're above that."

"I just don't want to be alone anymore." He was clutching onto her robes now, burying his face in them, crying openly. "Just tell me you're hurting, too. Tell me that you want to kill the girl who loves the man you love."

"No."

"Why don't you hate her? Why don't you hate her like I hate Malfoy?"

"Because I'm not you and she's my best friend."

A sudden silence fell between them.

_Oh my God. I didn't just say that._

Harry pulled away from her. His face no longer bore tears, but an expression of utter confusion.

"You're…you're talking about Ginny?" Luna's face burned as she nodded and hung her head. She heard him scramble across the room to get away from her. _He knows. Oh, sweet Merlin. He knows. _"All this time? All this time you loved—"

"Yes." She felt hot tears slip down her blazing cheeks. She didn't dare look up at him. "Ever since you invited me to Slughorn's party, I just imagined there might be something. You know, between us." She laughed mirthlessly. "But when you two started dating, I guess I had taken too much of a liking to you to actually disperse of the idea." Another forced laugh. "And here I am, nine years later, still being the same love struck schoolgirl."

A long silence fell between them before either person spoke.

"Oh my God." It was Harry, whose voice was noticeably less strained. "I…I had no idea." Luna sighed and managed to look up at his chin.

"You weren't supposed to. I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"No, it's not that." His voice was now as distant and quiet as hers. "It's just that all this time I thought you were talking about Malfoy."


End file.
